Real World Scars
by CuriosityComplex
Summary: A typical tough yet sensitive Jane at Santa Sabina High School encounters the wonderfully caring and always brilliant Miss Isles. Developing their friendship only to see it fade, the two meet once again as adults for a new opportunity for something else. - Potential trigger warning. Would LOVE feedback. [working title - sorry if it changes]
1. Part I - Chapter 1

Jane, Frost and Korsak entered the hallway after history and made their way to the cafeteria.  
"Crap," Jane remarked a little annoyed. "Did you guys get the homework?"  
"Yeah, it was to read pages 147-152 and make relevant notes," Korsak said.  
"Thank you! You're a life saver." Jane said, shooting a smile his way.

As they sat down, Frost couldn't help but ask, "so why'd you miss it?" He knew the potential for repercussions, but figured he'd ask anyway.  
"Hm?" She idly replied as she bit into her sandwich.  
"The homework? You were writing notes." His words were suggestive of a boy in Jane's life. "Don't tell me you were too busy thinking about a certain someone..." He winked, with an unmistakeable smirk on his face.  
"What? No?" She feigned outrage. "I just forgot to write it down. Gees, _mom_." She lightly mocked. The truth is that she was just distracted, but she hoped that the boys didn't see through her obvious ploy to turn the conversation around. "And since when are you so interested anyway? Scared you won't have me all to yourself, Frost?" She laughed.  
"Oh, ha ha Rizzoli." His eyes narrowed a little in denial. "You wish."  
They both looked to Korsak in search of who was right.  
"Hey, I'm staying out of it," Vince said as he looked back to his food, no interest in fuelling either of them at this point.  
"Anyway," Jane proceeded, "What do you guys think of the new teacher?"  
"Yeah, she seems nice." Korsak said honestly, but it didn't really affect him either way.  
"Yeah, she's cool. Especially when she started talking about the artillery in WWII." There was a little glean in his eyes.  
Jane rolled her eyes at the typical boy response. She thought they were cool too, but that wasn't the answer she was looking for. She just nodded in agreement.  
Shortly after the conversation turned to all the usual things; baseball, basketball, family, school, and ways they were going to survive all of them.

•••

"Okay, so, who can tell me what the cause of death was for Napoleon Bonaparte?" Miss Isles asked from next to the whiteboard.

"Bonaparte was blown apart," Jimmy remarked from the back end of classroom, quite pleased with himself.

She simply pursed her lips a little before quickly moving on as to not give him the satisfaction of a response. Instead, she searched the room for any relevant responses. "Yes," she said gesturing toward Jane who had her hand up in a slightly shy manner..

There was a slight lack of confidence to her words as she spoke, "I don't know if this is right, but I think it was stomach cancer."

Miss Isles was impressed, however went to interject with a 'but' but was stopped as Jane continued talking.

"Some people though, think it might have been arsenic poisoning." As she spoke she didn't make a large amount of eye contact with the teach, but disguised it by looking at her book or the board so as not to seem rude.

A sincere smile with a hint of surprise crept across her face. "Very good, Jane right?"

She nodded politely and looked back to her book.

"This is indeed correct and..." She continued teaching but Jane's focus trailed off despite trying to remain attentive.

"Now that we have discussed the facts, I want to see how you go with a little revision. Please turn to page 150 at complete questions 1, and 2 as well as 4 to 7." She stood affront the class with hands clasped in front of her and, even as she issued instructions, seem to have a sense of care about not only the work but the students who produced it. After waiting a few moments for the students to find the page and settle into their work, she sat down behind her desk and looked over some work of her own.

 _Why was Napoleon exiled and to where was he banished?_ She thought hard as she read the question. She liked questions like this because they were specific. As much as she disliked being wrong, she knew there was a right and a wrong answer which meant a fifty-fifty chance... sort of. She knew the second part but could remember the first part. After repeating the question to herself in hopes that the answer would come, she left some room and moved on to return to it later.

•••

It was about 4:15 and Jane had found herself in the staff building after studying in the library that afternoon. The young girl took a deep breath in. It was a few moments later that her eyes welled up a little and she realised that she had to then breathe out. She was standing at the door to an office trying to raise the courage to knock. Taking a step back she sighed. _C'mon man, what're you doing?_ The truth was that she didn't really know. She felt like she should be there but struggled to find any reason why that she actually liked. Instead she fixed her backpack which had be sliding down her shoulder and walked away.

Moments later Miss Isles opened the door only to find nobody there. She could have sworn she had heard someone.

•••

"What was that Rizzoli?" She said to herself. _What were you gonna do? What'd you think was going to happen?_

She didn't know the answer, and that bothered her. Jane was well aware that what happened around her was essentially out of her control, but she had prided herself upon her sense of privacy and the fact that usually she maintained control of at least her own actions and thinking.

* * *

 **Hello lovely readers,**

 **Firstly, thank you so much for reading!**

 _ **This is the first chapter of a story for which I have had the idea for a while now. What I would like to know is, would you like to read more?**_  
 _ **Is it a story that interests you? What do you expect this is about? What would you like to read about?**_

 **I'd really love to know any thoughts you may have on the story.**  
 **Please feel free to leave feedback, messages and prompts.**

 **Yours always,**

 **CC**


	2. Chapter 2

**To one of the reviewers, I imagine Vince Korsak as a young man to have brown hair (relatively dark), slimmer, quite big eyes, looks a very little bit like someone who tries to work out regularly, not overly tall… I don't know. I have the habit of just picturing him as he is now, but turning him into a dorky teenager, but I know that's not right. If you go to Google and type in "Bruce McGill young" you can find a couple of images that might help you to build a picture of what he may have looked like as a teenager. I'll do my best to further create the characters in my story so that you have a clear picture.**

* * *

"Ooh! Come on!" Jane shouted at the television, unimpressed with the Red Sox performance this game.

"Chill, Rizzoli, it's just a game," Frost joked, knowing all too well that it was way more than that to Jane.

"But they're making stupid mistakes today!" She practically whined.

"No kidding," Vince chimed in. "I don't know how they've missed so many catches!" He said, reaching out for his can of drink.

Jane was frustrated to say the least. She knew that they were going to lose sometimes, but she hated it when they lost against the Yankees… _Ew._

Frost just shook his head a little. He liked baseball as much as the next guy, but probably liked the pizza that always accompanied watching the game more.

Jane slumped back on the couch with a hand on her forehead. "They better get the crap together before tomorrow's game…"

"Totally," Vince said in complete agreeance.

"So, have you guys studied for tomorrow's exam?" Frost asked casually.

"What?" Vince said, genuinely surprised. "Crap, I forgot that was tomorrow. I gotta go." He quickly began gathering his things.

Jane and Frost laughed a little. They'd all been in that situation, but it was still a little funny to watch.

"Bye!" Frost said, but he was practically out the door already.

Jane groaned and lifted a hand to wave goodbye. "Ah… I should probably get going too. Ma will kill me if I'm not back soon."

"All good, have a good one."

"Thanks," she said with a tired smile. She grabbed her back pack and made her way out to her car. As she stepped outside, she took a deep breath in of the pleasant evening air as she looked around the street which was lit only by street lights. Barry lived on a fairly quiet street, so it didn't get a lot of traffic at night.

•••

Over the next few weeks, school was pretty normal for Jane. At least, to an outsider. She'd been relatively attentive in all her classes, she'd done most of her homework, and she'd most definitely spent time with her friends. Family wasn't great, but it never was. She didn't really think she actually had any right to complain though. Although she hated when her mother used the 'there are people out there who…" line, but that didn't mean she didn't believe it.

It wasn't until the end of period 4 history one day that things began to change.

"Jane, would you mind staying back for a moment?" Miss Isles said very politely.

Jane looked up, a little shocked by the request and shyly nodded. She looked over to Frost and Vince and said, "I'll meet you guys at the cafeteria." She managed to maintain a smile, despite her cluelessness as to why she was being asked to stay.

The students packed their books into backpacks and practically ran out the door to lunch.

Jane made her way to the front of the room as confidently as she could, before leaning back onto one of the front row desks. "What can I do you for?" She quipped.

"Jane, may I please see your workbook?" Her face began to look concerned.

"Wow, you get straight to the point, don't you?" She said pulling her book back out of her bag.

"Thank you," she said taking the book and beginning to have a look.  
There was a minute of awkward silence, well awkward for Jane, as Miss Isles looked through the pages of her exercise book. After that, she simply went "Hm," and let out a small sigh.

"Um… is something wrong?" Now Jane is concerned. "I did the-"

"Jane, my concern is the quiz we had earlier this week." Her eyes almost looked hurt.

Jane didn't know why though and it was beginning to make her a little fearful, although she'd never admit it. Instead, she joked, "Did I get a hundred and you think I cheated?" She let out a small laugh, although they both knew that it wasn't exactly genuine.

Miss Isles sat down at her desk and clasped her hands in front of her as she considered how to move forward with the subject. "Not quite," she hesitated. She wasn't a huge fan of confrontation but knew it was part of her job as a teacher. "You earned a 48."

Jane's eyes grew wide in shock. "What?"

"You received a 48 for the quiz," she repeated, "and I am concerned there may be more to it." She waited for a reply, but didn't receive one, so instead she continued speaking. "During class you seem to be an attentive and bright student. Your homework is always done, and you aren't particularly disruptive. It seems quite out of character that you would perform so poorly on a test." She never stopped looking at the young girl before her searching for an answer, but too often her eye contact was not reciprocated. "Did you study, Jane?" She said kindly.

Jane took it a little as an insult though. Survival instincts quick to kick in, she said, "Nah, I was just tired." She tried to gauge the teacher's response as inconspicuously as she could. "I'll do better on the next one."

Miss Isles looked back to her and tried to remain positive and professional. She didn't quite believe Jane, but had no real way to prove it either way. So, she simply smiled and returned the exercise book. "I hope so, Jane."

Jane nodded in acknowledge and walked toward the door.

"And Jane," she watched as Jane turned back to look at her. "If you feel you need any help with history, I offer tutoring after school at no cost to my students." She smiled, and her eyes were kind.

 _God, were her eyes kind…_ She nodded again and returned a polite smile. With that, she was out the door and she put Miss Isles out of mind.

"Hey Jane," Frost said pleasantly. "We got you a sloppy joe, despite the creepy looks that the lunch lady gave us.

Vince held up the extra serving of food as an offering.

"Sloppy Joes, yes!" She exclaimed. "Thank you, Frost."

"Thank Vince. He's the one who copped most of the eying." He joked.

Vince looked at her with a head tilt, as if to say, "Yep, I did that." He smiled.

"Well, thanks Korsak." She said in a cutesy sort of way.

"Don't mention it," He smiled. "So, what did Miss Isles what?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to talk about the quiz earlier this week."  
Her face didn't give anything away, but the boys knew better.

They looked to each other cautiously, knowing something wasn't right as Jane took a bite into her lunch.

"Um… did you okay?" Frost asked carefully.

"Yeah," she lied. "I mean, I passed, it was just a little lower than usual," she continued. "Had a big night before though, so I'm not worried." She shrugged it off.

Korsak nodded. "Ah okay. Oh well, there's always the next one," he said reassuringly.

"Yeah," Frost agreed. "Besides, it's you. You've never failed anything. Hell, you barely get anything lower than a B!"

Without knowing it though, the boys had poked something inside her that made her a little uneasy. She nodded though, and instead began talking about their formal plans. "So Frost, you taking Anna to the formal?"

"Yeah," he said excitedly. "It's gonna be such a good night!"

"You guys wanna come to mine before and we get have some pre-drinks," Vince said.

"Yeah, sure," she said casually. "Sucks that we can't have booze at this thing."

"Yeah," Frost said in agreeance. "Although," he remarked, always somewhat rational. "We aren't exactly of legal age," he laughed.

"Legal schmegal," she mocked.

They just laughed.

"What about you? You taking anyone special?" She directed at Vince.

"I was thinking of asking Jessica," he blushed.

"Ooh!" Frost joked.

"You totally should though," Jane said seriously. "You know she's had the biggest crush on you ever since you started doing track."

"Maybe she just likes the fact that you win at track," Frost went on joking.

"Oh ha ha," Vince said, completely unimpressed.

"Ignore him," Jane rolled her eyes. "You should ask her," she said with a friendly and honest smile.

"I will," he proclaimed. "And I bet she'll say yes," he rubbed in Frost's face.

Frost just laughed.

•••

That night, as Jane sat in her room staring at her homework, she found herself thinking back to the events of the day. Well, one event.  
It scared her. Jane wasn't one to be easily frightened, but as mentioned beforehand, she prided herself on being as in control as possible. What if that control was slipping away? What if someone found out something she didn't intend them to know?  
She tried hard to shake the feeling, but it seemed to linger. Even through dinner, despite maintaining her normal pleasantries, she found herself drifting off while the others talked and bickered. _Maybe that wasn't a bad thing_ , she half joked.  
And what was that feeling she got when Miss Isles was speaking to her? I mean, not surprisingly she was nervous, but it felt like there was something else.

Letting out a futile huff of air, she returned to her work wanting not to focus on it. Or on her.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
Thank you so very much for reading and please feel free to leave some feedback, a prompt (related or otherwise), or even send me a message to say hello.**

 **You can also find me on Tumblr at rizzoliandislesformiles.**

 **As added in the description, my apologies for the changing title. I am undecided on what to actually call it.**

 **Hope you are all very happy and well.**

 **CC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello lovely people,**

 **Just a quick message as I wanted to inform you of something.  
I am yet to decide whether or not this will be a Rizzles fiction. I have a couple of ideas, and it could go either way. I would like to assure you though, short of actual Rizzles, their relationship will be nothing less than a remarkably strong friendship, so please give it a chance. **

**Also, I don't remember if I ever pointed this out but, as some people have correctly suspected, Jane here is about grade 12, age 18.**

 **Other than that, all I can say is that we're going to find this one out together.**

 **Hope you're all happy and well.**

* * *

The days travelled as per usual over the weeks that followed. Jane had made a conscious decision to study more, particularly history, in order to keep her reputation up. Whether she'd admit it or not, she knew exactly why she didn't do too well on that test. All the same, she had a life to live that wasn't going to wait just because she had something on her mind.  
And so, she did. She made plans to study a little more for each subject, and pretty soon it became an unspoken part of her regular routine.

•••

The bell went, and students started collecting their things quickly so they could get home.  
It'd been a week since the occurrence, and Jane had mostly put it to the back of her mind.

"Don't forget students, there will be a chapter quiz tomorrow," Miss Isles said as the students rushed out the door.

And the thoughts were back. _Crap_. Jane let out a small sigh but tried not to let it show. She had no reason to think she was going to fail, but she didn't really think that the last time either. In her mind though, she was set. She would study tonight and just try to survive tomorrow.

•••

"Oh, I nearly forgot. Just before you go students, I have your quizzes back for you today." She smiled reassuringly to the class implying that they hadn't all gotten zeros. "I do apologise that it has taken a little while to get these marked," _two weeks to be exact_ , she said picking up a large pile of papers, "but I assure you feedback, good or bad, is always worth the wait."

The class became quite quiet in anticipation of their results. It was only a quiz, but it was always good to get good marks.

Miss Isles wandered around handing out each of the papers. She had started by quite clearly announcing the names of each of the students as she got to them, but it dissipated into mumbles as she realised it had no real benefit to the class considering it took twice as long to actually verbalise the words as it did to process them mentally. As she reached Jane, she laid it on the desk in front of her with a kind and somewhat pleased smile. Jane quickly glanced down at the page before a grin immediately developed on her face. "Yes!" She mumbled. Miss Isles had walked on to the next student by now though.

"Jane's back!" Korsak said softly nudging her upper arm.

Frost too gave a smile and a friendly pat her shoulder.

"Jane," she mocked, "was never gone. I always kick ass," she laughed.

"You all did quite well on this quiz, so I would like to thank you all for studying. You too should be quite proud of your results." She said professionally. "Should you have any questions regarding the test or your results, please don't hesitate to speak to me." The bell rang, so she tried to squeeze in, "And look them over for homework. They _will_ help you in the future," she emphasised, but the students had already half gotten out the door. Admitting defeat, she moved onto her next item to attend to. "Jane, may I please speak to you quickly before your next class?" She said loud enough so that Jane (and her friends) could hear.

Jane looked up and relented. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said to Frost and Korsak who each had different subjects for the last period of the day.

"Bye," they practically said in sync with no intention of slowing down.

Jane couldn't help but roll her eyes a little at the fact that neither of them were paying practically any attention to her at all. It was understandable though because the next period she knew they both had Mr Dixon for woodshop and he was not fond of latecomers.  
As she walked to the front, she was tempted to go on the defence and remark that she'd gotten a good mark on the quiz, - An 86, for that matter, - but decided it would be best not to seem too on edge. She decided to go with casual, instead. "Yep?" She said in a typical teenage way.

Maura just smiled this knowing smile as she began to speak. "I see you did better on test this time." She said with a smile before waiting patiently for a response.

"Yep," she smiled hesitantly. _That was why she called me up?_ Jane glanced away trying to figure out what response Miss Isles was trying to invoke.

She waited momentarily before replying. "I am glad to see it," she said, still working out what was going on in Jane's head. "I also hope to continue seeing these marks from you," she paused. "You are certainly capable of attaining them, if not higher." She stopped once again, waiting for Jane to share something with her. A thought, a truth, anything. She cared a great deal for her students, and Jane was no exception.

Jane just nodded and let out a slightly nervous, "mhmm." She tried to make it sound confident and certain, but she was still a little too confused. She realised that this was obviously not what the teacher had been hoping for as she swears she watched her eyes roll back ever so slightly.

"Jane," she began to say quite persuasively, "I am glad to find that whatever may or may not have been going on during the last quiz has subsided, please know that you can always come talk to me. My door is always open. Or," she stated, "if perhaps there is another teacher or even a counsellor you would prefer to speak to, I can help to put you in contact with them."

Truthfully, Miss Isles didn't know what was going on, but it had almost immediately caused a sharp response from Jane at the possibility of getting anyone else involved. Offering a lending ear as a teacher, that's one thing. Offering to get more people that Jane had no interest in talking to involved, that was a whole other story. _Breathe_. "Ah, yeah," she said more nervously. "Thanks, but ah… I think we can just keep things between us for now." She made her best argument.

Miss Isles nodded understandingly. "You may go, but Jane," she insisted, "please talk to me if you ever need to. It's what I'm here for." Her eyes were kind, though she could still sense concern. "It can just be between us." She hoped that last part would make whatever 'freaked out' feelings Jane was experiencing settle.

She let out a small sigh of relief knowing that she wasn't going to take it any further. She nodded politely and thankfully with eyes closed, before gesturing toward the door to get to her next class.

Miss Isles simply politely nodded, hoping that her words had gotten through. She didn't know what was going on, but held strong her values and her duty of care as a teacher and a human with a little more experience of the world.

As Jane too began to hurry through the corridors to her next class, she was faced with somewhat conflicted emotions.  
At the time, she was a little too worked up to realise it, but a part of her (even if it was just a small one) had begun to welcome the presence of Miss Isles. Whether she could decipher her actions or not, they seemed to be with genuinely caring intentions and some part of Jane's brain was beginning to realise that.

•••

A couple of days later on her way to school, she sent an e-mail.

 _To: m. ._

 _Subject: Year 12 History_

 _To Miss Isles,_

 _I was wondering if your offer to do some tutoring was still there?  
If not thats totally fine. Just figured Id ask._

 _Thanks_

 _Jane – Year 12_

 _[sent from an iphone]_

About five minutes later she receive a reply. _Of course she's prompt_ , she thought to herself.

 _To: jane. ._

 _Subject: RE: Year 12 History_

 _Good morning Jane,_

 _Thank you for getting in touch._

 _The offer still stands. Usually I offer sessions before and after school, however I am flexible that, if we each have a period that corresponds with the other's availability, I am happy to organise something then also. Please let me know what would suit you best._

 _Have a good day.  
Regards,_

 _Miss Isles_

* * *

 **Hello lovely readers!**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you for being patient with me and thank you for reading this chapter! I truly hope you're enjoying the story so far and would genuinely love any feedback or ideas you may have! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment or send me a message!  
I'd also love to know what you'd like to happen next.**

 **Hope you're all happy and well.**

 **CC**


	4. Chapter 4

A couple of weeks had passed as the two discussed potential times for tutoring. Miss Isles had stepped into an acting head of Histories role since one of the other teacher had to take some leave, and this made her schedule a little more hectic than usual. Jane on the other hand, whilst her schedule had remained pretty much the same, there was still the matter of dealing with her family's … restrictions on her lifestyle, as she thought of it.

 _To: jane. ._

 _Subject: Tutoring_

 _Good afternoon Jane,_

 _Thank you for supplying me with your timetable, once again.  
I notice that you have a free period 2 on Thursday of Week A. If it suits, perhaps this would be an appropriate time to schedule a tutoring session. _

_I realise that this would indeed mean that you would have History period 2 and then a review of it period 3 the same day. If this is a problem, please let me know._

 _Regards,_

 _Miss Isles_

Jane didn't get around to reading this until after dinner that evening. This particular time of night was referred to as 'the calm' she would joke to herself. The boys and her dad would be watching something on the t.v and her mum was busily moving around the kitchen clearing the dining room table and doing the dishes. She would help with the dishes every second night, as negotiated when she began year 12. She had argued that it was so she could study more, of which she did have the intention. More so though, it was so she could have at least _some_ time to herself.

Tomorrow was the Thursday to which Miss Isles was referring, but she was pretty sure they probably wouldn't be doing anything tomorrow. There was no guarantee that Jane would even have read the e-mail by that point. Regardless, she sent a reply, and went back to scrolling through Facebook and looking over the study notes she'd been making for some of her classes.

•••

As Jane packed up her books along with the other students, she was interrupted by a somewhat confused but always authoritative Miss Isles. "Miss Rizzoli," she paused.

Frost and Korsak both let out girl-ish squeals as they began to mock. "Jane's in trouble, Jane's in trouble." They practically sang the words.

"Oh shut up," she said, playfully nudging them both away. "I'll meet you at the lockers."

The two just laughed as they exited the classroom.

"Yep, Miss," she said casually.

"I realise we at no point discussed a location to study," she said relatively formally.

"Oh," Jane said, a little surprised.

"The library had come to mind, however I wasn't sure if you would find it a suitable place to concentrate," she continued on, quite unfazed. "This brought me to Mrs Villa's office." This was the office that Maura had been using since she became the acting head.

Jane, to her surprise, let out a small gulp at the proximity this would put the two in. Although, she certainly preferred that to the library where all the other students to see and know what was going on. "Ah, sure," she said with a forced smile. "That should be fine."

"Okay then," she remarked quite professionally. "Then I shall see you after recess. Are you aware of where her office is located?" She asked courteously.

"Yeah, I ah, oh," she paused without control. "I didn't think we'd be doing anything today."

Miss Isles seemed unchanged by this response. "If you would like, we can begin next cycle?"

Jane swears that she saw the slightest bit of hurt in her teacher's eyes. "No, no, it's fine," she tried to say reassuringly. "Next period is fine." She smiled contently whilst trying to convey the same feeling to Miss Isles.

She just smiled small, and nodded in acknowledgement. "We can discuss a plan then."

Hey eyes were kind again. "Sure. See ya then… then," she essentially stuttered.

Recess passed at its usual speed, and Jane began to make her way to Mrs Villa's office.  
The door to her office was a light brown wooden one with a large glass window in the top half. As she got closer, she noticed that the door was open a little bit, but couldn't see Miss Isles. Not wanting to intrude, she decided to wait in the corridor.

It wasn't long before Miss Isles arrived with a cup of tea in one hand and a large binder of work in the other. She greeted Jane with an apologetic smile. "My apologies, I was caught up in the staffroom."

Jane simply smiled casually and said, "No worries. I literally just got here anyway." She hoped her words would reassure the woman. She wasn't sure why, but whenever she was with Miss Isles, she felt the need to act in a way that would give her no reason to doubt herself. It seemed that Miss Isles was somewhat more fragile than she looked… She could relate to that.

She returned a grateful smile before leading the way into the office and having a seat behind her desk.

Jane stepped into the room cautiously and noted the two chairs on the 'visitors' side of the desk. Choosing to sit seemed like a simply decision, but it was suddenly quite an overwhelming one.

"Please, sit," she said with an outstretched arm.

She felt a moment of relief as Miss Isles essentially made the decision for her. She placed her backpack down on the seat next to her and sat patiently.

Maura looked at her with a slightly obscure expression. "Would you like to retrieve your books?" She said more as an instruction than a request.

"Oh," she said stupidly. "Duh." And so, she did. Pulling out her textbook, workbook and her small pencil case, she placed them on her lap and once again waited. Jane wasn't usually the nervous type, but this situation felt unfamiliar and, since she wasn't entirely sure what drew her to even arrange these sessions in the first place, she tread carefully.

Proceeding professionally, Miss Isles asked, "How did you find this morning's work?"

"Yeah, it was alright," she paused to think. "I mean, I'd like to do some more studying to find out a little bit more about it so I have a fuller picture but, I mean, I get it."

Miss Isles was impressed. She loved to see her students curious. Curiosity, whilst it may have killed the cat (which she doesn't believe happened anyway), was the path to knowledge and that was certainly something she appreciated. She found herself smiling almost involuntarily. "Okay," she said with an acknowledging nod. "If I can be of any assistance on your quest for information, please don't hesitate to ask. I may not know all there is to know, but I do know quite a lot and that _is_ what I am here for." Always modest.

"Cool, thanks," she smiled. "Let me do the homework reading, and I'll come back to you."

She simply smiled pleasantly in acknowledgement. "Was there any work in particular that you were find challenging to grasp or that you wished to review?"

"Ah…" She looked down to her books, opening her workbook and flicking through the pages to see if there was anything she had found challenging.

"What is that?" She enquired.

A little confused, Jane said, "My workbook?"

"No, Jane, a few pages back," she said, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Still unsure of what she was referring to, Jane began to turn back the pages one by one.

"That one," Miss Isles said as she once again saw the page with only a single line of writing on it.

"Oh," now there was concern in her voice. "It's the essay task you set for us last week," she said hesitantly.

With professional concern, she asked, "Is there a reason you haven't completed it?"

"Ah… no," Jane said, trying not to arouse suspicion. "Must've just had lots of homework or something."

Miss Isles pursed her lips a little in slight disbelief of her student's words, but didn't want to push. Trying to be constructive, she asked, "How about we work on that a little bit then?"

Jane nodded with relief.

Instead of writing the essay in full, they worked on making notes to be including and worked on the structure of it.

When the bell rang for period 4, Jane collected her books and thanked Miss Isles for her time, to which she responded, "You're welcome. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail them to me. Even if I don't get a chance to reply to them right away, we can discuss them next time." She smiled caringly yet professionally.

"Thanks."

As Jane walked into the corridor and to her next class, a thought crossed her mind that she would have to be extra careful with Miss Isles. She was noticing more than Jane was used to and she was unsure of how to respond. She took a deep breath, put on her game face and continued on with her day.

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading. I really hope you're enjoying the story so far!  
Please feel free to leave a comment with feedback, prompts or anything else. Good or bad, I'd really love to hear it. **

**Also, if you have an idea of where you want this story to go, please let me know.**

 **Hope you're all happy and well.**

 **CC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey all,**

 **Quick note! It was noted that I had not yet established a definite age for Miss Isles. Honestly, that's a very good question. Originally, I had designed the character to have the maturity, and life experience of someone a little bit older (perhaps late 30s to early 40s). Having said that, I wanted the two to be relevant to each other, which brings her back to about 24-25. I intend to keep her in this age range, and she will just be a little more understanding and mature than most (but that's nothing new for Maura Isles).**

* * *

Over the next few days, Jane's thoughts often came back to her next session with Miss Isles. She wanted them to be useful, and she wanted to concise with questions so she could get as much discussion in as possible. She had thought about writing some of the questions she had down, but in her head it seemed pretty silly. I mean, the whole process of writing stuff down in order to remember it, that she was okay with. It was just that it all felt so dorky and that was something she couldn't quite get her head around.

One night, as she sat at her computer for the socially required idle chatter with friends and/or acquaintances, she decided it might be fun to see if any of her teacher's had Facebook pages. The first name to be searched was, of course, Miss Isles. _Crap, what is her first name? I'm pretty certain that when she was born her parents didn't christen her 'Miss',_ she joked to herself. _E-mails!_ She remembered. Quickly opening up another tab to her school e-mail, she found one from _Maura! That's her name!_ Without wasting a second she switched back to Facebook and typed in "Maura Isles". She was a little surprised to see that there wasn't one. After all, she was young, she thought, and most people nowadays have some social media presence. She shrugged it off though and instead went on to search some other teachers. Not too surprisingly, she was entirely bored by all of their pages.

With no more homework, nothing interesting on Facebook and nothing constructive she could think of doing, she decided to go to sleep. It was 10:30pm. Not that late, but she simply wasn't that motivated to do much else.

Laying down to sleep, she stared at the ceiling, watching the room darken the long she focused on a single spot until she had to blink. She mightn't have had anything better to do, but she wasn't that tired, either. _I wonder how old Miss Isles is anyway? Is she married? Did she get along with her parents? How'd she end up at Santa Sabina?_  
With unusual and irrelevant thoughts beginning to envelop her mind, she decided it was definitely time for sleep. She grabbed her mp3, scrolled through the artists until she found Pearl Jam, and picked one of her all-time favourites, "Yellow LeadBetter", stuck it on repeat and eventually drifted off to sleep.

•••

Jane still felt kind of strange about going to Miss Isles for tutoring. She loved to learn, and always wondered why things were or how they were, but that wasn't necessarily something she was outspoken about. She considered herself more of an observer, and only asked questions when she was comfortable with the company. Regardless of the reasoning, she figured it'd be good to tell Frost and Vince just so there weren't any assumptions made.

"Hi guys," she said walking down the corridor to their lockers.

"Hey Jane," Frost said with a smile.

"Hey," Vince mimicked. "How are you?"

"I. Am. Tired!" She remarked honestly but playfully. "How about you guys?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Frost said with a smile. "Kicking Korsak's butt at Bullshit," he laughed.

"He's having a lucky day," he said frankly, as Jane sat down.

"Yeah… my entire life." Frost was always smug with Korsak.

"Why is everything a pissing contest with you two?" Jane laughed.

"It's not," he paused. "But if it were, I'd be the winner," Frost smirked.

"Oh ha. Ha." Vince was obviously unimpressed. "I'm only letting you win 'cause I've been wiping the floor with you all week." He turned his chin up in smugness.

"Oh grow up," she said maturely. "I'd kick both your butts," she laughed.

Frost and Vince shared a look before saying almost in sync, "deal again!" Officially issuing the challenge to Jane.

As Frost dealt the cards out again, Jane took the opportunity to mention tutoring. "Hey, so, remember how I didn't do as well as I usually do on tests for history earlier this semester?"

The two nodded idly.

"I decided to get Miss Isles to tutor me," she hesitated. "Just so that way I can keep on top of all my work. Like I can do history at school and do the rest at home."

"Fair enough," Vince said, not too affected by the matter. He knew if Jane needed anything she'd ask.

Frost though, a little less resigned to Jane's personality, asked, "is everything okay?" There was a puzzled look on his face and it was unjustified.

"Yeah," she said quite quickly. "To be honest it's not even like tutoring, it's like… I sit there and do my work and she does hers," she explained. "It just makes sure that I'm actually doing my work as opposed to talking to you guys or scrolling through Tumblr."

Frost nodded slightly before saying, "makes sense."

With that, her friends were informed, their concerns were held at bay and the card game was underway. She was relieved. She showed a small smile to signify her gratitude for their understanding. She loved her friends. They were awesome.

•••

"Hey Jane," Vince said chirpily as he came up to Jane who was coolly leaning on the brick railing next to the stairs.

"Hey Vince, what's up?"

"Not much, not much. You?" He said with an obviously suspicious tone.

Jane stopped and studied his face for a moment trying to figure what exactly it was that he was implying. Then, in a low tone, she said, "What?" This was the 'Jane Rizzoli takes no crap' tone and it was one that anyone who had spent more than an hour with her knew.

All the same, some people liked to see how far they could push the boundaries. "What?" He said innocently.

Jane's eyebrows practically became a straight line like in a cartoon. "Don't what me," she joked. "You and I both know you meant something by the question.' She said, unimpressed at his deflection tactics.

"Maybe you think there was something to the question because you know there is something that could be the answer that you don't think I know…" He mocked with a tongue-twisting sentence.

"Oh, okay," she played it cool. "I see what's going on here…" There was a subtle nod of the head as she spoke and an almost devious smile crept across her face.

"Is that so?" Still reeling her in.

"You heard that Frankie got grounded after I pulled a prank on him," she said smugly.

"What? No, I mean about you and Miss Isles!" He said quite quaintly.

"What?" She said in a harsher tone than was expected. "What do you mean me and Miss Isles? Jane was genuinely confused and a little annoyed that this was where the conversation was heading.

"Oh…" Vince became paler than a ghost in seconds as he realised he was wrong.

"What the hell, Vince? Come on!" Jane was certainly annoyed but a little hurt now too. "What the hell do you think was going to happen? I went to her for help with history! It was bound to happen!"

"Oh?" He was confused. "So… you _d_ …?" When he had started the conversation he was just messing around by poking fun her, but now he's not sure what to believe.

"Korsak? What?" Her voice was loud and the anger in it would send shivers down anyone's spine.

Vince sighed with despair and relented. "Pippa said she saw you guys hugging?"

"What?!" Jane was mad. Not a little mad, not moderately mad, mad-mad. "That didn't happen!" She exclaimed still outraged. There was a silent pause where neither of them really knew how to respond before she said, "What the hell did I ever do to her!?"

Vince's face became eternally apologetic. "So, you didn't hug her?"

"No! I went to her office, sat on the opposite side of the room and then left!" Jane was not at all happy at this point.

Vince tried to make it less of a big deal, "Don't worry, everyone knows Pippa's a gossip…" He shrugged a little. "Honestly, it's not even a good rumour." He paused. "I mean, if you're going to spread a rumour, it may as well be something better than 'she hugged a teacher'."

Jane just rolled her, not too keen on taking this conversation any further. She was pretty mad, and for a moment thought about taking Vince's unintended advice and spreading a rumour of her own about Pippa. Unfortunately, even when mad, Jane had a conscience and common sense, and figured that, not only would no good come of it, it wasn't actually worth it. Trying to be a grown up, she said, "forget it,' absolving Vince of any guilt he might have been feeling. She, however, was not going to forget it.

* * *

 **Hello, hello lovely people!**

 **Thank you so very kindly for reading. I really hope you've enjoyed this chapter but, hey, if you haven't please feel free to leave a comment with some feedback.**

 **Also, if you enjoyed it, I'd really love to hear that!**

 **I would like to genuinely pose a question to you all so, if you have any ideas (big or small), please let me know. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN NEXT? It can be an event, a destination, anything.**

 **Anyway, I do hope you're all very happy and well.**

 **Thank you once again for taking the time to read my story (and my blurb).**

PS. Two things:  
1\. In case you didn't know, has an app for Androids and iPhones and it's actually spectacular. It uses minimal data, is very easy to use and gives you all the same access. And it's free!

2\. If you're on Tumblr, please feel free to follow me on rizzoliandislesformiles. I like new friends, so don't be shy in saying hello!

Thank you again!


	6. Chapter 6

That night, Jane became quite annoyed with the whole situation. She couldn't decide whether she was annoyed at Pippa or at herself for going to Miss Isles for tutoring in the first place.  
After about an hour of persuading, she finally convinced herself that her best option, possibly her only option, was to end tutoring sessions.

 _To: Maura Isles_

 _Subject: (No subject)_

In fear of perhaps giving too much away, she left the subject line blank and the message as formal as possible.

 _To Miss Isles,_

 _Thank you for helping me with my history work in your free time._

 _While I am very thankful, I have decided to try to study better independently._

 _I apologise for taking up your time._

 _Jane – Year 12_

It was a couple of day before a reply was received, and neither of them had mentioned it at school. It did seem though that Miss Isles was becoming particularly busy with her school work, and Jane had become particularly good at avoiding discussing it in person.

When she saw the message on her screen, her stomach sank. Unsure of what the e-mail would hold, she drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes and clicked.

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: Re: Tutoring_

 _Hello Jane,_

 _Thank you for your e-mail._

 _I am sorry to hear you say that, but I understand your desire for independence.  
If I can be of any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask._

 _Regards,_

 _Miss Isles_

Maura Isles was a practical woman. Clever, unending grasp and sometimes direct. Sometimes though, whilst still clever and astounding in nearly every way, she was less direct; So much so that to anyone else, had that known her inner workings, would seem like she was fearful of whatever she was avoiding. The reason for this is because the composing of this particular e-mail went as follows:

 _Subject_ _\- It's perfectly logical to make it something relevant. –_ _Re: Tutoring_

 _Hello Jane_ _– Good day? No. Good morning? No Dear? No! Hello? Hm… It will have to do._

 _Thank you for your e-mail._ _– Although I am saddened to receive it._

 _I am sorry to hear you say that, but I understand your desire for independence_ _. – I too have felt this feeling and have learnt that sometimes it is in fact best to follow where it may lead._

 _If I can be of any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask._ _– Please… don't forget that. I know teachers can be intimidating, but you're so very bright, so very quick and so very strong. I care very much about my students because I know how a negative adolescent experience can shape a person. You deserve every opportunity. Unfortunately, I am also quite familiar with the fact that life does not always act accordingly. Independence though does not equate to isolation…_

 _Regards,_

 _Miss Isles_ _– Please call me Maura. No, that's rather weird. Miss Isles is so formal though. I should probably just resign myself to the fact that it is inappropriate._

But Jane wasn't to know that.

•••

Other than the usual day to day events, Jane's life returned to normal (for the most part) over the next few weeks.

"Hey, how'd you go?" Frost happily asked.

"Yeah, pretty good. 86. You?" Jane responded quite nonchalantly.

The grin grew quickly on his face before he even spoke the words. He tried to act cool, but with a big goofy smile it was proving ineffective. "Yeah, I did alright." He paused for effect. "Just a 98."

"Frost!" She slapped his shoulder with congratulations. "That's awesome!"

His cheeks blushed a little. He knew he did well, but it's always good to hear it from others. Trying not to seem too cocky, he said, "Hey, an 86 is awesome too."

Jane just smiled at her friend's gesture. "Thank you, but relax man. You killed it."

Frost nodded in appreciation of Jane's understanding and continued on talking. "If I keep getting grades like this in IT and keep up my maths grades, I will be a shoe in for that computer programming bachelor!" He said quite excitedly.

"Any college would be damn lucky to have you," she said honestly. "And hey," she began to joke, "You can fix my computer any time," she nudged.

They turned to the front to see their teacher, Mr Jenson, clearly waiting for the students to stop talking.

When there was a lull in conversation, he said, "Yes, yes, I know getting tests back is exciting." His words were half sarcastic. "That doesn't change the fact that your website design and analysis is due at the end of the week. So turn around and get to work." He instructed. "Any questions, ask me, but otherwise I expect silence so you can _all_ concentrate." Despite his emphasis on 'all', the words were spoken as he focused on a couple of boys who always made sure to get the computers in the back corner of the class so they could talk and do whatever they wanted online. All the students were aware of them.

Turning back to their computers they both opened up their websites, word documents and their school e-mail. They were good students, but that didn't mean they were perfect. The rest of the lesson was spent working on their assignments mostly, other than a few exchanges of e-mails.

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: RWNEIA_

 _Hey_

 _So whats your plan for the afternoon?_

 _To: Barold Frost_

 _Subject: Re: RWNEIA_

 _Not much. Was thinking of going to the batting cages. You?_

When Barry read the e-mail she let out whispered, "Yes!"

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: Re: RWNEIA_

 _CAN I COME? xD_

Jane had to stifle a laugh at how quickly and keenly he replied.

 _To: Barrold Frost_

 _Subject: Re: RWNEIA_

 _Haha. Sure. Oh hey have you tried the new pizza place down the block from it?_

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: Re: RWNEIA_

 _Antonio's? Nah._

 _You reckon anyone actually reads these? Like you know how they say the school e-mails are monitored cause they don't want us doing 'inappropriate things'._

 _To: Barrold Frost_

 _Subject: Re: RWNEIA_

 _Do you wanna go there for an early dinner? I'll drive._

 _And yeah… I dunno. Like, surely they have better things to do. Besides, we've said some stuff on here that they've never picked up on, and I don't think it's cause they were respecting our "Read When No-one Else Is Around" subject line. Haha._

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: Re: RWNEIA_

 _Haha… yeah._

 _And sure. Just have to text my mum and we'll be all good._

 _Hey, what does the C in your e-mail stand for anyway?_

 _To: Barrold Frost_

 _Subject: Re: RWNEIA_

 _It stands for crazy, so I wouldn't ask again. ;)_

 _I'll meet you outside the building and we can go to my car from there._

 _Unfortunately! I should probably actually do some work. Talk to you later._

•••

Jane was practically drooling. "Oh. My. God," she said as her eyes nearly rolled backwards. "This pizza is SO good!" She muffled through the generously sized bites of food in her mouth.

Frost nodded vigorously as he took another bite. "We're definitely coming back here. It's a shame that Vince couldn't make it, but oh well…" he joked. "More for me."

"I know, right! And gee, darn," she said bluntly, "we'll have to order _more_ pizza! What ever will we do? But hey, we seriously have to bring him. They even have a pizza with all of his favourite toppings." Check Capricciosa toppings

As they kept indulged in the remaining pizza, the topics of conversation ranged from relevant, less relevant and 'what the hell are you actually talking about'.

"So if there was a zombie apocalypse would you rather be a human or a zombie?" Frost proposed.

"Hm," she said thinking through her options. "I think I'm gonna go with human."

"Why?" he burst out as if it were the most outrageous thing he'd ever heard. "You have the opportunity to be a _zombie_! Why would you be anything else?" He exclaimed.

"Because I don't want to eat brains," she said frankly. "I want to eat this pizza for the rest of my life. Do I have that option?" She laughed.

"But brains!" he implored.

"Who are you kidding? You got squirmish when we saw that dead rat one night."

"I was only squirmish because that rat had a smell," he explained. "And see, as a zombie, I wouldn't be killing people, waiting a few days and then eating their brains, I'm killing them and eating them right away… Duh."

"Uh-huh," she said in a low and disbelieving tone. "Anyway, so what are you doing for your IT assignment?"

"Ah, I'm doing this website that has interactive pages. I still have to do some of the analyses but it should be alright. What about you?"

"Dang, you're totally gonna get top marks for that. Nice work, Frost. I'm doing a mock-up of a council website. Nothing too fancy. A couple of widgets here and there. Done right, it should get me at least a B-, so I'll be good with that."

"Cool. Crap, I didn't realise the time," he paused a little flustered. "You think my mum will accept the excuse that the food I ate was so good that time stood still but our watches didn't?"

Jane just laughed. "Come on, I'll give you a lift."

•••

"Jane!" Her mother called from downstairs.

"Yeah?"  
Jane waited but didn't hear a reply.

"YEAH?" She yelled, this time with a little less patience.  
Still though, she received no response.  
Finally, she relented and exited her room and went downstairs to find her.  
When she did, she almost mockingly said, "Yes, mother?"

"Rizzoli women do not yell across the house, Jane." She said frankly.

"Wha- Yes they-" Jane stopped, knowing it would do absolutely no good to have this argument. "What would you like?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the family gathering this weekend," She paused. "What are you going to wear?" She said with utmost importance.

"Ah… clothes?" She joked, not understanding why it mattered.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, don't sass mouth me." Her face was clearly unimpressed, as her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed together.

"I don't know, ma, why?"

"Because I want you to look nice," she smiled.

There was more to it though and they both knew it. "Ma, what?" She gave up.

"Nothing," she swore. "I just want you to look nice for the family. You're the only other girl in this house, and I just want you to look pretty."

She thought about retorting with a 'but aren't I always pretty' response but it seemed unwise. Instead she had to think for a moment. "No!" she whined. "Uncle Matthew isn't brining his neighbour again, is he?" She seemed practically repulsed.

"Jane Rizzoli, you will be nice to that boy!" She instructed, verging on anger.

"I am nice to him! I just don't want to date him," _Or anyone this family brings home._

"He's a nice young boy." She said, pacing her words.

"He might be, but he smells like cheese and doesn't understand the idea that sniffing someone is not an appropriate thing to do!" She argued.

"I wish you'd just give him a chance," she said in softer tone.

Funnily enough, this voice invoked more motivation, albeit it guilt, in Jane than nearly any other. She rolled her eyes and relented. "Fine," she paused. "Now can I go back to studying?"

Angela showed a soft yet triumphant smile. "Yes. Dinner's at 6:30, though. Don't make me call you."

Jane nodded and retreated to the non-expectant walls of her bedroom. There, she could be anyone or anything and there was no-one to judge.

* * *

 **I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you so much for reading.**

 **I really would like to know what you thought about both the style and the content of this chapter. It had some ideas I wasn't sure about and some others that I was keen on, but I'd really love to hear your view.**

 **Please don't hesitate to leave a comment or message me if you have any thoughts to share.**

 **I hope you're really happy and well.**

 **CC**


	7. Chapter 7

"Ma!" She yelled out, quite annoyed. "I was nice. I just don't want to date him!"

They'd be arguing for the past half hour on Sunday night after the gathering.

"Don't be so quick to judge," Angela argued, trying to take the upper hand in the conversation.

"That's such bull! You always bitch to me about relatives, and half the time you haven't known them very long either."

"I do not!" They both knew it was true, but in the heat of the moment she was definitely not going to admit it. "And I do not appreciate that kind of language." She pursed her lips.

"What?" She said with a smart-arse tone. "Bull?" She scoffed. "Are animal names not permitted in this house?" She figured if her mother could be petty, so could she.

"I already talked to Uncle Matthew, and you are going out with Tim," she said sternly. Relaxing into a more persuasive and less threatening tone, she said, "It'll be a chance for you to get to know him."

"You set us up on a date?" She said outraged. "I'm not going!"

"Yes you are, young lady. You will not disrespect your family," she said getting angrier again.

"Not disrespect family? What about your respect for me?" Jane was pissed to say the least. She'd always hated that her mother had double standards for everyone and everything. "I'm not going," she said bluntly. "And you can call Matthew and tell him. You caused all this."

Angela was visibly hurt, but Jane paid no regard. She was not interested in anything her mother might have been feeling as a result of this self-inflicted situation. What was she thinking anyway?

"I'm going to bed," she said, still quite mad but with no desire to be a part of it. She walked away without another word.

The next morning, she awoke at her usually early hour and left for school as the rest of her family began to rise. She didn't exactly feel like talking to any of them that morning, so she went to school to study.

By the time she got to school it was just before 7:30am. In the library, she sat at a table near a window and pulled out a couple of her books to study.

Jane was still pretty mad from the previous night and was finding it difficult to focus. She found herself spending a lot of time staring out the window contemplating the events of the night before. It lead on to thoughts of family, expectations, and even stretched to that of the societal expectations and standards set. Every thought she had, the one that always followed was that she wished she was exempt from all that. Free from judgement, or loyalties to things which she didn't agree. It made her brought to edge of despair as she then went on to the revelation that such a thing was not possible and that she would always have the input of others whether she wanted it or not. _When do I get to be the person_ I _expect me to be? The person_ I want _to be…_ She sighed.

Trying to refocus, she looked around the large open space of the library, and to her surprise saw someone other than the librarian. Miss Isles was standing at the borrowing counter reserving what looked to be history DVDs.

When she caught sight of her, she smiled at the young girl, politely greeting her.

So many thoughts rushed through Jane's head at that moment. She let out a small, hurting smile in response. She wasn't sure if it showed though.  
After watching Miss Isles return to speaking with the librarian, she too turned back to her books. A small part of her hoped that Miss Isles might have seen the pain she was feeling as she fought with her mind. She began to tap the back end of her pen against her workbook, thinking about the whole situation a little more. _What was she thinking? In what world is that a reasonable thing to do?!_ As Jane found herself stuck at some unanswerable questions, she once again looked around the library only to find that Miss Isles had gone and the librarian, too. _What'd you think was going to happen? She'd come save you?_  
Jane was frustrated and angry, and unfortunately it was to no avail.

•••

When Frost and Korsak got to school, Jane's day improved and she was thankful for it. But the final bell though, she realised she was stuck with a decision again. Did she want to go home right away? She toyed with the idea of not going home at all, but that put her at no advantage, nor did she think her parents would respond well. She decided to do her homework in the library and then go home at about 4:30, or whenever she was done. She was certainly not in any rush though.

"Crap," she mumbled as she read a sign on the library door noting that it would be closed that afternoon after school.  
She slowly began to dawdle back through the corridors, realising that the next option would be to go home.

"Jane," Miss Isles said from one of the rooms she had passed.

A startled she spun quickly to face her. "Oh, hey," she said, relaxing as she realised who it was.

"You're still at school," she stated professionally.

"Oh, yeah… I was going to go the library to study, but it's closed." She said as she tucked her hands into her pockets.

"If you'd like, you can study in here," she said politely. Realising that this was an unusual offer she continued, "I will be here for another hour or two anyway." She watched Jane trying to gauge her reaction.

"Oh no, look it's fine," she smiled appreciatively. "Thanks though," she said genuinely.

"Really, it's no trouble," she went on to explain. "I won't pester you or anything," she said lightly.

Jane hesitated before responding. It wasn't exactly ideal circumstances, but it was certainly better than going home, she contemplated. "Only if you're absolutely sure," she said a little unsurely. "I don't want to bug you while you're doing your work or anything."

Maura just smiled before saying, "You will not 'bug' me. Please," she said gesturing toward the many tables in the classroom.

Jane just nodded politely and began to set herself up at one of the tables.

For a while, they each worked quietly. It was probably about 45 minutes before either of them actually spoke again. Plenty of time for Jane to get some work done and begin to feel a little guilty. "Thanks," she paused, "for letting me use the room, I mean."

"You're welcome, Jane," she said with a kind smile.

"And, I guess I never really thanked you for the tutoring either." She rubbed the back of her neck.

"I am always here for my students," she said honestly and quite humbly. She looked back down at the work in front of her as if to be carrying on with it.

Jane actually found it quite odd that she seemed shy about such a kind action be. _She should be proud_ , she thought. _It's a_ good _thing._ The fact that she was so modest about it confused Jane, but she felt rude (and a little bit silly) asking why… No matter how much she wanted to know what made her that way. She couldn't help but think that all the people in her family were usually the complete opposite. In fact, most people were the opposite. In that moment, Jane's impulses took over.  
"Hey look," she paused nervously. "I know it's been a while, but would you mind helping with my studying again?" The second she said it she felt so stupid.

Miss Isles looked perplexed. "I certainly do not mind," she said frankly. Not entirely sure what had motivated her to ask, she said, "You are aware that it does not have to be a regular session? If you would like, I can simply be of assistance as needed. That way, if you don't feel like you require any help, you can spend your time doing more productive things. It also means less expectation." Her words were kind, and unusually (for anyone else) informative.

Altogether, that entire thing put her at ease, but that last sentence was like she read Jane's mind. With that, she almost _wanted_ it to be regular. _An expectation free zone…_ She thought contently. Jane smiled in acknowledgement and tried to gesture a thank you towards her.

Miss Isles simply smiled a small smile and returned to her work.

* * *

 **Thank you so very much for reading. It's a lovely thing to see that so many people have read it, and it's even more remarkable to get likes or follows. So thank you, thank you all. I mean that with the utmost sincerity.**

 **I'm very much looking forward to writing more you.**

 **Please don't hesitate to leave any comments or feedback to let me know if you're enjoying the story or would like to see something happen.**

 **Thank you again.**

 **PS: I intend to continue this story on after high school and into the real world. Any ideas for a title?**


	8. Chapter 8

As Jane drove home, she was more at peace with the world than she had been all day. Something that Miss Isles had said put her remarkably at ease. She wasn't sure what it was, or if it was a good thing that she did, but for the moment she was thankful for it.  
Parking her car near in her street, she took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. _Go in, be civil, stay out of the way (and they'll be out of yours), and just get through the night._

At dinner that evening, Jane was quiet mostly except for the odd pleasantry or request for something she couldn't reach on the table. She ate relatively quickly before returning to her room.  
Her mood had declined a little since she arrived home, but she was determined not to let it stop her. Jane wasn't a huge fan of emotions, however she was even less of a fan when they were caused by someone else. Although, that can be a pretty normal response.

•••

"Can I ask you something?" Jane asked with a perplexed look on her face, as she looked up from her textbook.

"Yes, Jane." She said formally.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

Miss Isles understood the words but not the motivating implication of the question. "In what way?"

Jane shrugged. "I dunno. You let me do tutoring with you again even though I flaked last time. You took a genuine interest in me when I didn't do well on a test," she paused. "I dunno, there's just this overall niceness about you."

She tried to gauge what had caused the young girl in front of her to ask this question now. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean. However, I believe every student has immense potential and I am aware that, unfortunately, that potential does not always get the opportunity to be nourished," she said frankly. "I try to encourage the growth of all my students."

Jane was amazed. Watching her speak she was not only quite matter of fact about it all but it seemed not to even faze her that she was doing a rather incredible thing. "Hm." In a short time Jane had developed the utmost respect for her teacher, and at times she found it intimidating.

"May I ask you a question now?" She was suddenly more interested than before. Her movements were calculated though. She did not shift at all in her chair, eye contact was never broken and she made sure not to have a judging look on her face.

"Sure," Jane said quickly, now intrigued. This may be the first real insight into Miss Isles' head, and it was not one she was going to pass up.

"What caused you to fail that first test that I called you up on?" She said kindly but professionally.

Rather involuntarily Jane felt herself sink in her seat a little and couldn't help but look down to her books (anywhere but on Miss Isles). "Oh," she remarked, stalling. She tried to recall what reason she had chosen to give her in the first instance.

Deciding to push a little, she spoke before Jane had the chance to again. "Now, if I am remembering correctly, you said it was because you were tired." There was a very slight smugness to her words as she knew that in this case she was indeed correct. "I will admit though that, as I have mentioned previously, I suspect that is not the truthful reason."

Jane opened her mouth to deny it, but instead just let out a small sigh realising that lying to her again wouldn't exactly strengthen their relationship, whatever it was. "Honestly," she paused, "I was tired." She looked away as she spoke. "I'd been up most of the night before because my _brother_ ," she said with animosity, "had… let's just say that he'd done something incredibly stupid that involved the cops." She looked up to see the face in front her before continuing. She was expecting shock or to have her run for the door or something, but nothing. There was no change. Miss Isles simply continued to intently listen. Shrugging it off she said, "Anyway, dad had gone to the station to pick up my brother and sort him out, and ma was kind of freaking out… a lot." The thought of that night suddenly made her a little unhappy. "All in all, it wasn't really a quiet night."

When she was certain that Jane had divulged as much as she wanted to, she said, "How did you cope with the event?"

Jane wasn't expecting to be the one experiencing shock after that story, but there she was. She wouldn't have guessed that a person's first response to hearing the story would be to ask how _she_ coped. How her brother was doing, maybe. How her parents were coping, maybe. But how she was doing? No way. In her head, whilst she certainly felt the impact of it, she would have thought that it would have seemed irrelevant to an outsider. Particular an adult whom she didn't even really know her.

Miss Isles noticed that Jane seemed quite taken back by the question and amended her words by saying, "I apologise; that was rude of me. Please don't feel obliged to answer."

"Nah," she said trying to come off strong and unfazed, "No, I mean. It's not that. I'm just surprised," she said honestly.

Maura was confused.

"It's just, the thing that happened with my brother, it wasn't really about me. And like, if people ask about anyone it's usually him, or how it affected my other brother or my parents."  
As the eldest she was used to the accidental neglect that came with it, but she didn't mind. In fact, she usually preferred it. Now that she'd verbalised it though, it suddenly hurt a little to think that no-one really cared to ask how she was. Just because she understood why no-one asked about her didn't make it right, or make her less important, did it?

As if it were obvious, Miss Isles said, "You are my student, Jane. Not only that, but you are a student whom when asked originally about some poor test results felt the need to lie or to cover it up. It seemed rather unlikely at the time that you had really dealt with it properly, perhaps because you hadn't had the chance. This particular event was also the cause for you to perform poorly in the first instance, and that is certainly something that is my concern." Her words were almost clinical as she spoke of the facts and logical progressions from gathered information, and from anybody else would have seemed uncaring or unsympathetic. From her though, they felt, to Jane at least, like quite possibly one of the kindest things she could remember hearing anyone say.

Despite that, she was suddenly quite overwhelmed. Usually she would be mentally prepared, but something about Miss Isles had her off her guard. She felt like crying. _What the fuck? Don't cry. Don't cry._ She panicked. She wasn't used someone to being this nice to her, - this interested in her. – "Sorry, I should go."

"Jane, wai-" Miss Isles said with an astounding level of guilt both in her voice and on her face.

Without another word, Jane grabbed her things and in seconds was out the door before Miss Isles really had a chance to speak again.

•••

 _What the hell was that? I don't even know where to start. Why did I cry? And how lame is that? Gees, I mean, if anyone knew that a teacher had made you cry… Just… what the hell? Why did I let her get in your head? The conversation wasn't even about me, it was about Tommy…_

Jane sat awake on her bed in the dark that night when everyone had gone to sleep. She took a few deep breaths as the battle in her head took a break. She was done crying, but now she was intent on knowing why that even happened in the first place. Even the voice in her head shifted from angry to calm. The nerves were there, but she knew to find the information she needed, getting worked up wouldn't help. Besides, what she was about to ask wasn't exactly a foreign question to her.

 _Do I like her? Like… like like her?  
I don't know if I'm even… 'gay', but it's not like it would be that strange, would it? Lord knows the relationships I've had with guys haven't exactly been a great success.  
Ew, but she's your teacher Rizzoli… _

She paused as she had to question whether she even wanted to allow the next question into her mind.

 _Does she like me? I mean, she has gone out of her way to look out for me. Way more than any of the other teachers.  
Is that why I like her? Do I like her?  
Fuck… I hate this._

In another part of town, in their respective house was Miss Maura Isles. It was coming up to 11:30pm and she had only just completed her work including the marking of assignments for one of her classes. After tallying up all of the results, the class mark sat at an average of 71.

 _Hm… It's not awful_ , she thought to herself. _I mean, it's not superb, but at least it's a passing mark._

She had always thought of year 8s as a very mixed group of people. They had just finished being the new kids and having no idea where anything was, but hadn't quite reached the age of doing tests that mattered and 'ruling the school'. It was this bizarre state of limbo where kids could really go either way, hence the usually mixed test results. It's an entire year of having nowhere to go and nothing important to do. They are simply passing time.

As she tidied her workspace and collected all of the papers in front of her, she went to check her school e-mail one last time before retiring to her bed. She hadn't quite had enough time to sort all of the already dealt with e-mails into the appropriate folders this week. Most were simply checking boxes or asking about extensions. Looking through to find which belonged where, she saw the most recent e-mail from Jane. She found herself stopped in her tracks momentarily.

 _I wonder how she's doing… I don't think I have her class over the next couple of days. I feel awful for making her uncomfortable, although I'm not entirely sure what it was specifically that made her respond with such discomfort and uneasiness._  
She let out a small sigh.  
 _She's so very determined to be infallible, I'm not sure she's ever really opened up to anyone. Barry and Vince seem to be supportive enough._  
She pursed her lips knowing all too well that, whilst in no way their fault, their support may not quite be enough for Jane. At least, at this time.  
 _Although I'm certain she'd never admit it, she is quite sensitive inside that tough exterior and clever mind._  
She stared at the screen for another moment without thought.  
 _…Be careful with her._

* * *

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 **Hope you are very happy and well.**

 **CC**


	9. Chapter 9

The possibility of Jane being gay was not a new concept to her. In fact, it is one she had been playing with for about a year now.  
She always felt that her relationships with guys had been unfortunate, to say the least. She wasn't sure whether it was because they usually just wanted one thing or because she truly believed that weren't the world's most perceptive creatures, she never really felt that she was fulfilled by any of them. Although she still wasn't entirely convinced, there was a part of her that thought that girls were a little more sensitive and/or aware, and so she thought she might be better supported by one. Also, she felt that she had more to offer a girl. This idea though was rather romanticised and, whilst she'd dislike admitting it, she hadn't found that girl (or potentially boy) yet. She hadn't even found one that felt like it might be close, and that concerned her more than anything.  
To tell the truth, she hadn't exactly found anyone that had come close and that scared her a little.

•••

The following week, on Wednesday, Jane and Miss Isles still hadn't really spoken since the incident. Despite having had a couple of lessons with her, not much had been said regarding the matter. In her class that day, it felt to Jane like she was actually being avoided. She watched Miss Isles walk around the class discussing things with other students, but she barely acknowledged Jane.

 _Fuck. Seriously?_ She directed to herself.  
She couldn't help but wonder just how badly she might've screwed things up. And, not completely unfounded, her first thought was to blame herself.  
She didn't say anything though, and felt rather silly drawing attention to herself if she didn't have a valid question to ask that was work related. So, she kept her head down and did her work, with the occasional conversation with Vince or Frost. Business as usual.

Although she was a little upset by the thought that the one person who had potentially taken a genuine interest in her was successfully scared off, she figured there wasn't really much she could do. So, she went on with her day and acted as if nothing was wrong, despite feeling remarkably stupid about all that had happened.

•••

"Good morning Jane," she said politely.

"Hi." Her voice was a little lower in pitch than usual. Immediately she noticed though and tried to hide it but deliberately making her voice sound cheerier and asking, "How are you?" She forced a smile, and wondered if it even looked real.

"I am quite well, thank you," She said with a smile. "How has your morning been?" Maura had considered returning the same question, but felt as if it might be rude or intrusive, so she opted for the safer alternative.

"Well, I had you for half of it," Jane said in a slightly sarcastic but mostly playful tone.

Miss Isles simply smiled. "Did you have any questions about the work completed or the homework that was set?" Her voice was professional, but also somewhat cautious. Some might even have considered it nervous.

Jane didn't take much notice though. "Ah, no, I think I'm okay." She said as she raised a hand to the back of her neck.

"That's very positive," she said with a smile. "As always, if you encounter any issues or if you do come across anything you have questions about, I am around."

Jane wanted to be mad, at least part of her did. Mad because she wanted to believe that whatever was going on in her head wasn't too much for someone to comprehend. But she found that she couldn't. Miss Isles was still so kind. So concerned, even if it was just at a professional level.  
It wasn't the first time she'd felt like she was too much for anyone to handle, and she didn't really want to inflict herself upon anyone. Right now though, she was even distracted from that thought. Miss Isles was so nice. So kind. So caring. So, maybe she wasn't the one who'd understand, but she was still a valuable person. She still cared, she was still a good teacher and she still saw the truth (at least more of it) and Jane wanted to keep that.  
In spite of all that, she simply nodded in acknowledgement of her teacher's offer. She was thankful, for whatever this might be.

"Is there anything you would particularly like to work on today?" She said, hands clasped on the desk in front of her.

"Um…" She had a quick look at her book, and found that there was nothing that she specifically needed help with. Biding her time, she flipped back and forth to make it seem like there was something she was considering. Eventually she had to stop though. "No, not really… Sorry," she said a little sadly.

"No need to be sorry," she considered. "Would you perhaps like to begin your homework then? You are welcome to use the space since you're already here." She smiled, kindly.

She let out an inaudible sigh, before nodding politely. She wanted to say, _"that's not what I meant,"_ but managed to refrain. With nothing else to do, and no real interest in delaying the inevitable, she began to pull out her textbook and begin her homework.

Miss Isles, too, organised some work for herself on her desk and got straight into it.

The two continued like this for a mere few minutes before an impulse inside of Jane took over.  
"That's not what I meant," she practically blurted, with the slightest sense of frustration and sadness in her voice.

Miss Isles was temporarily taken back as she tried to connect it to something they had previously discussed. With the most apologetic look on her face she said, "I apologise, I'm afraid I don't quite understand." Her eye brows furrowed a little in confusion and intrigue. She wanted to understand, but now was concerned that her lack of social skills had truly failed her.

She let out a small sigh and shrugged a little. "I meant… _I'm_ sorry."

Miss Isles was still confused. A grammatical issue seemed rather irrational to be upset about, yet she didn't have a better suited explanation.

It was clear to Jane that she was still confused, and felt it appropriate to elaborate, for better or for worse. She sighed once again. "Look, I shouldn't have done that," she said a little angrily. Who the anger was directed at though was somewhat unclear. "I'm sorry for… unloading on you." Jane was quite obviously stressed by the matter.

Immediately, the context was clear. Miss Isles just watched. She still didn't quite understand. She knew to what she was referring, but didn't necessarily think any of what Jane said qualified as "unloading". If anything, she herself was the instigator who had asked Jane those things. "Jane, please," she paused. "You needn't apologise for honesty." She didn't know how to proceed. "I asked you because I was concerned and wanted to better understand one of my students."

 _Students_ , the word hurt.

It hurt her a little too. "I asked because I cared." She felt so uncomfortable saying that allowed. "Honestly, I had thought I might have offended you by prying into your personal life," she said with great concern.

"No," she said quickly. "You didn't! I just… I'm not great at responding in those sorts of situations." She shrugged again. "I'm not exactly used to it, either," she relented. "I just thought… it seemed like you were avoiding me since then, and I didn't want to have screwed this up."

"Avoiding you?" She was certainly confused at this point. "Not at all." She rethought her response. "I may have been a little distant," she admitted, knowing that social etiquette wasn't her forte. "I wanted to be cautious and thought it best that, if were to discuss it again, it might be best done in a private setting so as to not put you under too much pressure."

 _Oh…_ Now she felt stupid. The two just looked at each other with a sense of acknowledgement, and more so understanding. In their own way, they were each thankful, too.

"If I may be quite forward, and please don't think of this as something you are obliged to do," she remarked formally, "Finding someone you are comfortable talking to can be quite a rarity. And so, if you happen to feel secure enough to open up to me when needed, I would like to be here." She paused. "It is something I think is important. After all," she said formally, trying to hide behind her proper composure, "I am a teacher." She smiled this unmistakably kind smile.

Jane smiled gratefully. "Thanks…" And she meant it.  
"Why are you so nice to me?" She asked, not for the first time.

She recalled what she had said last time, but thought she might feel more comfortable if she supplied her reasoning. She pursed her lips slightly, preparing for the unfamiliar words that were about to be spoken. "As a young person, I would have appreciated someone looking out for me."

Jane knew better than to ask more questions. Instead she smiled small in understanding. Trying to lighten the mood she said, "Well… thank you." Ensuring that she wouldn't need to offer up more information about herself today.

Miss Isles smiled quite humbly, thankful that Jane hadn't asked for more.

It seemed perhaps they were both hiding things.

* * *

 **I truly hope you have enjoyed this chapter and would love to hear any feedback or comments you may have.  
Please also feel free to make suggestions about events you would like to see unfurl in this story.  
I truly do love feedback, though. **

**Thank you so very much for reading and for being patient.**

 **Hope you are happy and well.**


	10. Chapter 10

She didn't know if she'd really take Miss Isles up on the offer, but she loved that it was there.  
The idea of someone actually saying, _"Hey, I've seen you and I'm not running away,"_ felt utterly amazing. She was thankful. A voice in the back of her head kept bugging her though. It was always so sure that she would screw things up.

She had just clicked send on an e-mail to Miss Isles but, although she had convinced herself to do so, once she had sent it she began to freak out a little.  
The e-mail asked if she would perhaps consider allowing Jane to study with her even when it wasn't history work. She'd used the reasoning that "it was easier than studying at home," and that she "seemed to work better with a supervisor." She'd promised to work quietly and not to bother her, and assured her that she was in no way obliged to say yes.  
Quickly, she opened up Facebook to see if Frost or Korsak were online.

"Yes – Korsak!" She said to herself.

 _Jane: Hey_

 _Korsak: Hey what's up?_

 _Jane: Not much, you?_

 _Korsak: Yeah not much. Just finished my homework so it's time to play video games._

 _Jane: Do you ever stop playing those? Lol_

 _Korsak: Duh_ (he mocked) _I did just say I did my homework didn't I? :P_

 _Jane: Yeah, yeah. And hey, I'm pretty sure we had school together and unless you were playing video games in your mind…_

 _Korsak: Who said I wasn't? xD_

 _Jane: Uh-huh…_

There was a bit of break in conversation where Jane hadn't decided whether or not to bring it up.

 _Jane: Hey can I ask you something?_

 _Korsak: Sure_

 _Jane: What would you do if you wanted to spend time with someone but didn't actually have a valid reason?_

 _Korsak: OOH!_

He hoped that it was read as it was intended… a girly squeal.

 _Korsak: Do you liiiiike someone? -.^_

 _Jane: Shut-up Korsak.  
No. It's… It's a long story. Can you just answer?_

She implored.  
He knew better than to push for information at this point.

 _Korsak: Party pooper.  
Fine…  
Ah… I don't know. I guess if this hypothetical person wanted to spend time with this other  
hypothetical person they could just ask to hang out or something?_

 _Jane: Mm…  
And what if people thought they shouldn't really be hanging out?_

 _Korsak: Ooh… so it's a hypothetical bad boy!  
Nah, I still think they should just ask. Who cares what people think anyway?  
Like I don't want you… the hypothetical first person to hang out with someone who isn't good  
for them, but I get why they have to try. They might not even be so bad._

Without knowing, Korsak had reassured Jane enough for her to stop freaking out.

 _Jane: … Thanks Vince._

 _Korsak: No worries.  
And Jane, if you ever want to tell me about them I'll be here. I won't even tell Frost.  
I'm sure he'd have a field day. Hah._

•••

The next day, Miss Isles was walking down the corridor on her way to the staffroom when she saw Jane coming the opposite way.  
"Jane!" She immediately said.

Jane whipped her head around looking for the voice, only to find Miss Isles standing nearby with books in hand. "Yes, Miss," she said properly.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said as she looked over to Frost and Korsak who were also with her. "I just wanted to say, in regards to your e-mail, I don't see why not." She smiled politely.

A smile grew on Jane's face, and she tried not to make it look too dork-ish, or too obvious. "Okay, cool," she tried to say in a relaxed way.

"We can speak about it another time though," she said, realising that perhaps this wasn't the best setting as she was beginning to be aware of how private a person Jane was. "My apologies again, gentlemen," she said in a professional yet unmistakably kind way.

"What was that about?" Frost said in a deep and slightly suspicious tone as Miss Isles continued on away from them.

"Oh nothing," she was quick to snap out of it. "It was about changing tutoring days."

"What a weird response…" He remarked.

"Most people would just say 'yeah sure,' but not her." Korsak joked.

She forced out a laugh.

"Maybe her brains getting too big and it's putting pressure on the thing that lets her speak?" He surmised.

Korsak laughed, and Jane just nodded in agreement.

In truth though, that response made her elated. It didn't matter that it was a little awkward or unusual. It meant that she'd just agreed and that made her very happy. It also relieved the huge amount of stress she'd been feeling since she sent the e-mail.

When Miss Isles arrived at the staffroom, after setting down her books, she immediately opened her e-mails up and began to compose one to Jane.

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: Tutoring_

 _Good afternoon Jane,_

 _Firstly, I would like to apologise for the potential breach of your confidence today. I had not intended to bring it up in front of your friends. I realise now that they may not be aware you had been seeking a tutor. My apologies._

 _Secondly, I also realise that the wording was quite strange, if you wish, so I wanted to clarify.  
If you would like to study in my classroom from time to time, I would permit it. If you could please just let me know when you may be doing so, so that I may make arrangements or notify you if I am unavailable. _

_Regards,_

 _Miss Isles_

 _To: Maura Isles_

 _Subject: Re: Tutoring_

 _Hi Miss,_

 _Nah, don't worry about it. They know. Thanks though._

 _And yeah, will do. And look, if you ever can't like you have a meeting or just want to go home, it's fine too._

 _Jane_

Unlike Maura, when Jane wrote this e-mail she was far more casual about it. She still hadn't told the guys any real details about tutoring with Miss Isles, she didn't feel like anything she said today really gave it away. So she was happy to let it slide.  
She realised though that if she wanted it to remain that way, she may indeed have to have that conversation with Miss Isles upon next private meeting. She knew all too well how unaware people could be.

* * *

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What do you guys think?**

 **Thank you so much for reading. I hope you're enjoying the story.**

 **If you have a second, I'd really like some suggestions about what events you might like to see unfold or what you'd like to see happen in the story.**

 **Hope you are very happy and well.  
Thank you again.**


	11. Chapter 11

About a month had passed since Miss Isles had agreed to allow Jane to study in her classroom or office from time to time, and since then Jane had been spending one to two afternoons a week doing so.  
The most recent afternoon she did this, herself and Miss Isles had gotten into a rather unrelated discussion of love lives after Jane had quite unabashedly and genuinely curiously asked, "So, why aren't you married?" Obviously, by now, she was quite bored with the work she had been doing.

Watching the situation unfurl, had Miss Isles been eating, onlookers would have bet huge amounts of money that she was sure to have choked in shock. Her eyes grew wide but she tried not to look entirely gobsmacked by the question. "Pardon?" Was all she could really get out without too much further thought.

"Why aren't you married?" She said as if it were no big deal, and she leaned back on her chair. "I mean, you seem nice and all, and it's not as if you're butt ugly or anything."

Miss Isles just watched, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Caught off guard, she tried to answer the question honestly and safely. She wasn't sure whether to be offended, insulted or complimented. She cleared her throat. "I suppose, after high school I was simply more interested in furthering my education and, in turn, my career." By the end of her sentence she had managed to recompose herself and not be completely put off by it.

"Huh… Fair enough," she shrugged. Leaning forward and resting her elbows on her desk once again, she said, "okay," and simply got back to working.

The confused blonde just stared, though tried not to make it too obvious. "May I enquire as to why you asked?" She said professionally, with a subtle hint of still strong confusion.

Jane seemed remarkably unfazed, as if she wasn't actually aware that it would have been considered a strange question. "Yeah, I mean, I just think it's kind weird is all."

Miss Isles furrowed her eye brows a little. "Okay…There are certainly things that make less sense, but what motivated you to ask this now?"

She raised her shoulders as she said, "I dunno. Just curious, I guess. And this chick just got beheaded for being his wife, so yeah," As if that were a completely normal thing to say.

Miss Isles tried not to be ridiculously confused by all this. Instead she simply uttered, "I see…" And left it at that.

Jane had always been curious. She had always wanted to know how things worked, or why things were, and people were no different. She was often catching people off guard with her unorthodox (but not necessarily impolite) questions. She never asked them maliciously, she simply wanted to understand the answers.

•••

"Hey Janie," her father said as she sat watching television.

"Hey pop," she said contently.

"Can I have the remote?"  
This was a common question, and not one that you wanted to refuse.

"Just in the middle of watching something, then it's all yours," she said quite absent-mindedly as she continued to stare at the television screen.

There was the slightest shift in the atmosphere. "Jane," he said with authority. "I go to work all day to feed you, and clothe you…"

Here we go, she thought.

"And I'm tired. Is it really so much to ask to be able to come into my own home and watch my tv?" He said patronisingly.

Jane hated it when he played this card. The "I own everything [even though I don't necessarily] and therefore I own you" card. Jane respected her father for all the hard work he did. At the same time though, she didn't think it was too much to ask to watch like 15minutes of a show. "You know pop, I'm so sick of you using that as an excuse," she said as her frustration began to build. "Look, I get it, you work hard. But we all do things too."

He was far from amused and was ready to pull out the big guns. "Oh yeah? What'd _you_ do all day?" He scoffed, knowing that anything she said wouldn't be worthy.

"I went to school," she emphasised. "That's what eighteen year olds do. And before you bring Frankie and Tommy into this, they went to school too, because that's what kids do! And you know what ma did? She cleaned, she cooked, she sorted any bills that needed paying-"

"And do you know whose money pays those bills? And speaking of kids, didn't anyone ever to teach you to respect your elders?" He was mad.

"I do! Maybe it's you who doesn't respect us, or ma for that matter. Never once have you even acknowledged all the stuff she does. As for Tommy and Frankie, all you've ever done to them is yell abuse at them and tell them how worthless they are. Where's the respect in that?" As the eldest she was used to this sort of thing. Admittedly, it may have escalated quickly because she wasn't in the mood to start with, but all the same the points were still valid.

Her dad simply re-iterated things he'd already said as the colour in his face became a darker shade of red. At one point, he actually raised a hand up ready to put an authoritative slap on her face.

Immediately, Jane jumped before he had decided whether or not to follow through, and left the house.  
Admittedly, she hadn't exactly thought about where she would go and found herself at a local park. It was about a 20 minute walk away. She figured that was far enough that people wouldn't know where she was but close enough that she couldn't get into any real trouble when her mother found out.

Hands shoved deep into the pockets on her tracksuit jacket, she was thankful that she was in fact wearing a jacket. Although it was only about 6:20pm, the nights were dark and cool at this time of year. Sitting on top of one of the isolated picnic tables she pulled out her phone.  
The first text was to her mother. It read:

 _Tell me when he's done and I'll come otherwise I'll see you tomorrow._

She didn't mean it as a threat or to guilt anyone, but it was the truth and she didn't know how else to word.

The next was sent to both Frost and Korsak, and read:

 _Hey, let me know if you've got nothing better to do tonight. C:_

She put a smiley face at the end to forcibly lighten the tone of the text.

She put the phone back in her pocket, and began to look around at the night. Her head was still reeling with things that she'd said, and things that he'd said, neither of which really pleased her. She hated that he said things like that, but more so that she responded to them. Despite not being overly fond of her father's character, he always managed to get inside her head.

 _Nah, can't tonight sorry.  
See ya tomorrow_

From Korsak. _Damn._ Her mother would always try to keep the peace by saying that he had good intentions or that he didn't know how to express himself.  
"Who knew that made it okay to be a class A dick?" She joked to herself.  
She wasn't entirely sure why her mother defended him.

* * *

 **Hello you,**

 **Thank you so kindly for reading this chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave any feedback, comments (good or bad), or prompts down below. I would love to hear your thoughts.**

 **To those of you have been asking, I just wanted to re-iterate: Jane is 18 and Maura (Miss Isles) is 23-24. I will be honest though, if you have any issues with that, just stop reading now.**

 **Hope you're all very happy and well.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Mornin'" Korsak said with a smile.

"Hey Vince, how are you?" Jane asked, quite contently.

"I'm good, you?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, thanks. Excited for another day of school?" Her words oozed sarcasm.

"Oh boy, am I?" He joined in mocking. They both laughed.  
Once the laughing had subsided, he asked, "So what'd you end up doing last night?"

"Oh, not much. Went home after a while." She shrugged unimportantly.

"Where were you?" Not realising she was out.

It clicked that she hadn't gone into details before. "Just went for a walk." She paused, considering how much to say. "Had a fight with dad, and couldn't be bothered…"

"What? What happened?" He asked, concerned.

"It was nothing, really." She forced a smile. "Thanks though. Hey, what've you got first up?"

"Ah… History?" He said, now unsure.

"Really?" She puzzled. "Oh right, yeah. It's the first Tuesday. Isn't it?" Jane had completely forgotten what day of the cycle it was. She was a little ambivalent about the realisation though. She wanted to be happy or excited, after all she liked the teacher, liked the subject and was relatively good at it. On the other hand though, the teacher made her feel a little vulnerable and after last night she didn't really want to let anything slip. She took comfort in the fact that she probably wouldn't have to talk about it since class was a public place and they wouldn't really have the opportunity to speak privately.  
"Hey, where's Frost?" She asked, noticing the time.

"You know, I don't know. Usually he's here by now…" Vince too was now a little worried. "He hasn't texted or anything." He raised his shoulders.

"Huh… Strange." She said, with nothing else to really contribute.  
"Well, I'm going to go to the _ladies'_ " she said poshly. "I'll see you in class," she smiled.

Korsak let out a small laugh before simply saying, "Alright."

With that, Jane had disappeared one way and Korsak slowly made his way to the classroom for 1st period.

As Jane made her way back from the bathroom, she ran into Frost. "Hey! Where've you been?" She asked, inspecting the stupid smile that was plastered on his face.

He was practically gushing. "I was just spending some 'quality' time with Christine," he tried to say in his usual smooth way.

Jane just looked at him quite blankly. "Gross," she winced.

"You're just jealous," he laughed.

"Yeah, yeah… 'Cause it's always been my dream to get to second with Christine," she mocked sarcastically.

Frost nudged her to the side of the hallway, before walking into the classroom.

It was only moments later that Miss Isles arrived, before the bell (as per usual).

As soon as she arrived, the talking quieted and students began to get their books and pens out. Although it wasn't until the bell rang that any of them intended to actually do work, it was an unspoken protocol when teachers arrived. It was also a good way to make sure they didn't hear what you were talking about. No-one wanted any teacher to hear about what they'd done with boyfriend/girlfriend, how the weekend's party was or that they hadn't done their homework.

The lesson itself ran relatively normally. Idle chatter as the teacher taught, occasional questions (relevant and irrelevant), a couple of stupid jokes, a few moments of silence as people did work and then the bell.

"Miss Rizzoli, would you mind staying behind a moment?" She asked professionally from the front of the room as people began to gather their things.

"Ooh," Frost mocked.  
In sync, both Frost and Korsak said, " _Miss Rizzoli,"_ they joked.

"Oh shut up," she warned jokingly.

Acting as if he wasn't threatened by it, Frost said, "Yeah, yeah… Whatever," he scoffed.

Jane just nodded coolly, "I'll see you two dweebs at recess."

Korsak nodded in acknowledge, as did Frost. With that, they were gone and the room was deserted except for herself and Miss Isles.

She wasn't sure why she was asked stay back, but it wasn't something that made her as nervous anymore. This was particularly so because she was sure that Miss Isles had nothing bad against her at this point, so that was relieving.  
"What's up, Miss?" she said casually.

Without as much as a change in facial expression, she asked, "Would you mind popping by my, Mrs Villa's, office at recess?" Her tone was polite and professional and, unfortunately, gave Jane no hints as to what this was pertaining.

"Ah, sure," she said, obviously a little oblivious.

"Thank you. The student's for second period will be arriving shortly and I thought it rude to impede their learning for a matter that could be discussed later," she smiled. Her words were not malicious, simply realistic.

This still perplexed Jane. She did understand words, just not so much the person speaking them. "Yeah, all good," she smiled. "See you then." She headed towards the door before turning and asking hesitantly, "Am I in trouble?" _Were the boys finally right_ , she thought to herself?

Immediately, Miss Isles was shocked out of her professional demeanour into a far more openly caring one. "Oh no, Jane," she assured. "I would simply like to discuss your studying…" she paused. "Please, go to your next class. I promise it is nothing bad." She smiled so very honestly as she stopped speaking.

Jane found herself almost forced at ease, but it was not something she minded with Miss Isles. She was still curious, of course, but the anxiety that was previously associated had faded, and that was definitely something she was okay with.

•••

*knock knock knock*  
It was about five minutes into recess by the time she arrived at Miss Isles' door.

"Come in," a polite and chirpy voice said from inside the office.

Jane opened the door cautiously and took a few steps in. "Hey Miss, what's up?" She smiled.

"Not very much," She smiled. "Now, the reason I asked you hear was to discuss our schedule. Unfortunately, over the next two weeks I will be out of office on a number of days and will be unable to allow you to use the classroom without a supervisor."

"Oh," she said a little shocked. For some reason, despite the explanation having nothing to do with her specifically, it felt like her fault. It always did. "Sure, okay," she said, forcing the words through a gritted smile.

Miss Isles noticed her uneasiness, and tried her best to reassure the young girl before her. "It will only be for two weeks and, upon my return, I will happily discuss starting up our sessions again." She smiled, and she meant every word.

Jane forced a small smile and said, "yeah. That's cool. Um, so, when do you start?"

"I will be out of office for the first time Next Monday afternoon for a staff development meeting."

She tried not to act like this was upsetting to her. "Okay, cool. So, I'll see you after that." Jane smiled a fake grin and hoped it was believable.

"Indeed you will," Miss Isles said pleasantly.

At no point were her words rude or inconsiderate. Nor were they ever motivated by a distaste for the young student that then stood in her office. To Jane though, there was still this lingering feeling that perhaps she had done something wrong.  
Analysing the conversation, whilst she noted that Miss Isles' voice always seemed kind and genuine, usually the words she spoke were due to a negative incident or a mistake. At least, that was Jane's experience of it. Why else would someone wish to see less of another person?

About five minutes later, an e-mail arrived and her phone buzzed in her pocket.

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: Tutoring_

 _Hello Jane,_

 _My apologies. I realise that we did not actually discuss the status of today's and Thursday's sessions. These are still entirely fine with me if you are up for it._

 _Please let me know either way, but for now I will see you after school._

 _Have a lovely day,_

 _Miss Isles_

After reading this, Jane sent back a short and concise e-mail that simply stated she was still interested in attending this week's times.

•••

Jane sat quietly at one of the desks in the front row of the classroom doing some of her homework. Each of her classes today seemed to give quite a large amount of homework, and she was hoping to get through as much of it as she could.

Occasionally glancing up, Miss Isles sat at her desk also working. In all honesty, she didn't mind working like this. Of course, she adored her students and loved their inquisitive and energetic nature… most of the time. But it was almost a remarkable experience to simply be in the same room as one and not really needing to answer questions that would often interrupt the copious amounts of work she was trying to do. Jane would occasionally ask questions when she did her History tasks, but for the most part the room was calm. In fact, she found the workspace quite ideal. Jane's presence forced her to work also, even when she would get a little bored with it. Regardless of all this though, there was a niggling feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She couldn't be sure, but something seemed a little different with Jane today. She had noticed it this morning too, but it had blended in with the usual chaos of the classroom and so she didn't have a chance to address it. At this point, she wasn't entirely confident on broaching the topic, because she couldn't be sure that whatever it may have been was actually a negative thing.

"Damn," Jane mumbled as she stared at the tip of her now broken pencil. She looked up as she stood and smiled politely.

As she walked toward the bin to sharpen her pencil, Miss Isles keenly watched her looking for any clues that may help her to decipher what was different about Jane.

After realising that she had sharpened her pencil to the point of it breaking in the sharpening, she removed the lid and gave it a couple of small whacks on her palm only to see the small piece of lead fall to the ground. With minimal effort, she bent from her waste and dangled her long arms to the floor in order to pick it up. As she did, the bottom of her t-shirt rose a little exposing the side of her hip.

Immediately, Miss Isles tried to look away, as any self-respecting teacher would. Whether it had happened to you, or happened to someone you know, even decent behaviour whether it was intended or not could always be misconstrued. She found herself though having to glance back as she took notice of a long piece of flesh coloured fabric, like a bandage, stuck around one side of her hip. The bandage itself seemed to go below the waist of her jeans, but there was no indication of how far.  
Miss Isles had no idea what it was but was extremely curious though. She decided not to comment though. She didn't have all the facts, and she was certainly not a fan of guessing. So she left the topic alone and tried once again to focus on her work.

* * *

 **Thank you so very much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and would love to hear any thoughts you might have. C:**

 **You guys are honestly the best readers, so thank you!**

 **Hope you're happy and well!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hola all,**

 **Just wanted to clarify something because I know it can be called different things in different parts of the world. In the last chapter, when I referred to a 'bandage', I was speaking of what some may call a "Band-Aid". As in, the stick thing with gauze attached. Just to be clear, for future reference.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter**.

* * *

As soon as Jane had left the classroom for that afternoon, Maura's mind was plagued with an unending amount of thoughts as to what that bandage may have been for. Despite having many options to choose for, she either couldn't find one that was plausible or one that she liked.

Soon though, it began to show. As it turned out, she was a fan of guessing aloud or in her mind as she began to feel an itch building at the top of her chest. As soon as she noticed, she immediately forced herself to not only stop scratching but also to stop trying to figure out something with very little tangible evidence. It was hive-inducing and pointless, she decided.

•••

Although it had previously concerned Jane a little that Miss Isles was not going to be there for two weeks, the first five days had passed and it seemed to be fine.  
Other than having to occasionally remind herself that she had to actually use the library instead of the classroom as she would with Miss Isles, school travelled pretty normally and there were enough things going on in her other subjects and socially so that she didn't really have a need to focus on her teacher's absence.

 _[Group chat: Jane, Vince and Barrold]_

Frost: It was actually the funniest thing!

Korsak: Yeah, no kidding. Best entertainment all week.  
Knew there was a reason we took economics.

Jane: So you'd understand money?

Frost: So we get to watch Pippa get upset when she MASSIVELY FAILED her model finance scheme.  
Ahaha

Korsak: You shoulda seen the look on her face Jane!

Jane: I'm sure it was priceless.

Korsak: Not according to her. Haah!

Frost: I know! When she did the whole my dad pays your salary thing! xD

Jane: She didn't?! :O

Korsak: She did. And I think the best part was that even Mr Jenkins couldn't give a shit about her  
ranting.

Frost: It was like all she wanted was the attention and he wouldn't give it to her. It made it taste so  
much sweeter!

Jane: I bet. Oh, before I forget, you guys still coming to boy's baseball on Sunday?

Frost: Yeah. We're still on for pizza after, right?

Jane: Yes, Frost. We'll still get pizza. What about you, Vince?

Korsak: Game's at 9, right?  
Yeah, I'll come.

•••

"You boys were killer today!" Jane said proudly to the two very embarrassed younger brothers standing in front of her.

"We're not babies," Frankie said in the most grown up way he could, knowing full well that he loved it when she complimented them and made him proud too.

"Yeah, yeah," she nudged.

Tommy looked from side to side, still pretty excited, "We totally were though."

"Yes," she restated, "you _totally_ were." She winked in their direction. "Hey, you guys wanna join us for pizza to celebrate?"

"Nah, we're gonna go out with some of the guys."  
They were grateful she asked but, you know, boys gotta be boys, right?

"Alright, well I'll see you guys later then," she smiled. "Bye bros."

Back in the carpark, Vince and Frost were leaning on Jane's car laughing about something they've obviously found wildly funny. As they notice Jane heading back, Vince says, "Welcome back. No boys?"

"Nah," she said pleasantly. "They thought it _cooler_ if they hung out with their team mates," she said feigning hurt.

"Aw," Frost joined. "Oh well. More pizza for us!"

"Yes," Korsak said very happily.

•••

Jane was washing her hands in the bathroom as she looked up to the mirror above the basin.  
In that moment, she suddenly found herself thinking about Miss Isles and the fact that she'd been away. For some reason, it made her feel like this week had somehow been worth less or been less productive simply because she wasn't there. Completely caught off guard, and out of nowhere, Jane convinced herself that it was simply because her routine was interrupted and that there was nothing more to it. _You're just used to studying with her, that's all. Ew. Now that you say it like that, it sounds kind of weird. Forget it. It's nothing. Everything will be back to normal in a week or so.  
_ Right now, her friends were outside in the main area eating her portion of pizza though…

•••

Jane lay on her bed with earphones in her ears. Her music was turned way up, and she was enjoying the escape it provided.

 _Where are you?  
And I'm so sorry.  
I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight._ _  
_

Blink 182 was one of her all-time favourite bands. They were one of the few who had made it onto her list of songs she could listen to in any mood.

Today she'd retreated to her bedroom simply because she felt like relaxing.  
It was Tuesday again, and she'd just gotten home from school. After exchanging pleasantries with her mother before she took the boys to baseball practise, she grabbed a drink and went to chill out in her room.  
She'd managed to get all her homework done at school today. Her last period of the day was a free one, and she'd gotten through it then. Thankfully her teachers today were feeling pretty lenient with what they had set for homework, so she was happy to be doing very little this afternoon.

There was a break between songs and her phone buzzed on the bedside table. She looked over and couldn't help but think that had the message come in while a song was playing, she probably wouldn't have heard it. She unplugged it from the charger and rolled onto her back, phone in hand.

 _Why do girls do that?_

The message was from Korsak and that was all it said.

 _Hello to you too. :P Do what?_

Jane shook her head and placed the phone on her stomach. It buzzed again to signify his reply.

 _Why do they go all crazy when all I did was try to be nice?_

 _What'd you do? -_-_

 _What'd I do? Why'd I have to do anything?_

 _Fine, what did SHE do?_

 _I gave her some chocolates, coz our one month is coming up and she went nuts about getting fat and how I don't really care._

 _Ouch. What's her name again?_

 _Jessica._

Jane didn't have to be with him to know that the tone in which he sent that last text was not impressed by any part of this situation.

 _Right – Jessica. Look man, I wish I knew why she went off her nut at you. Maybe she'd had a bad day?_

Truthfully, Jane wasn't much better at understanding irrationality any better than Vince. She was a friend though, and had to try something.

 _Maybe :/ But still. Why'd she take it out on me? I was nothing but nice to her?_

 _Have you asked her what was wrong?_

Before he had a chance to reply, she sent:

 _And I don't just mean going what the hell was that for after she chewed you up._

 _No, but why should I have to?_

His ego was obviously a little bruised after not getting the reaction he'd hoped for when he gave her a gift.

 _Well, you shouldn't. But she's not going to come to you. Sometimes people need a bit of a push. Or pull, as it may be…_

Vince still was overly thrilled, but finally relented:

 _Fine… I'll talk to her.  
But if she goes nuts again, I'm out._

 _Fair enough. Good luck, man._

 _Yeah, thanks. I'll need it. Talk to you tomorrow._

* * *

 **So there we have it. Another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and would love to hear any thoughts you might have (good or bad).**

 **I'm also looking for day to day activities you'd like to see happen both to individual characters and groups.**

 **Please do leave a comment though, because I'd love to know whether you enjoyed it.**

 **I'll see you next chapter.  
Hope you're happy and well.  
**


	14. Chapter 14

Finally, Friday night had arrived and marked the end of a very busy two weeks for Maura.  
After doing a little therapeutic shopping at her favourite online shoe store, she checked her school e-mail account and began wading back into reality.

 _Teacher, teacher, principal, newsletter, newsletter, teacher, stud- Jane._

She stopped reading down the least and, immediately, she clicked on the e-mail from Jane and read it. None of the teachers' were marked urgent, nor was the principal's, so she figured it was all run of the mill messages.

 _To: Maura Isles_

 _Subject: Tutoring_

 _Hi Miss,_

 _I was just wondering, well checking, if it was still okay to study with you as usual next week?_

 _And I hope you're having a nice week._

 _Jane – Year 12_

She knew that she wasn't always the best at reading people in social situations, but as she read the e-mail she couldn't shake the thought that something wasn't quite right about it. There was something about it that gave her a general sense of hesitancy and/or nervousness on Jane's behalf. She wasn't really one to stutter her words or to dance around a topic, and yet in this e-mail she had rephrased things. There was also something that, to her, seemed almost shy, and that was certainly not like Jane. Re-reading it, she realised that it had been sent on Wednesday night (two days earlier). Before thinking things through entirely, she shot back an e-mail.

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: Re: Tutoring_

 _Good evening Jane,_

 _We are certainly able to return to studying as per usual upon my return next week._

 _If there is something more pressing, I will be at school on Monday from seven. So, if you wish to squeeze in some studying or if you would like to discuss anything, please don't hesitate to come find me. I will be in my office._

 _Have a good weekend,_

 _Miss Isles_

It just so happened that Jane was already on her laptop that night. She'd been on Tumblr, scrolling mindlessly through her dash whilst listening to music.

When she read the e-mail, she was so relieved to hear from her. She had something on her mind for nearly a couple of days now and, even if they didn't actually discuss it, studying with Miss Isles usually put her at ease.

Looking at the second line of the text, the word 'we' really got to her. When she had sent the original message to Miss Isles, she had initially typed "are _we_ still okay to study…" but rethought it as she came to the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that it made her sound presumptuous. That wasn't her exact description though. She actually thought it made her sound "dumb" like she "liked her or something", but you get the idea think, . That second wasn't even specifically of an intimate nature. She just thought, well society made her think, that it was odd for teachers and students to be friends, if that is what they were. All of this in mind though, it made her a little bit pleased to read that it was an activity that she found pleasant enough to use the word 'we', as opposed to two people who can't stand each other but are forced to work in close proximity. Jane knew, or highly suspected at least, that her teacher's use of the word probably had less connotations than her own, but she was contented all the same. It made her feel a little less like a burden and perhaps more like a friend.

•••

By the time Monday morning had rolled around, Jane had decided that Miss Isles probably had preparations and catching up to do since it was her first day back. Even though she really wanted to, her moral side took over and thought it too selfish to bother her.  
Instead, she made peace with the fact that the first time on their own would be Tuesday afternoon after school. So that's exactly what she did.

In history on Monday though, it wouldn't really have mattered. Korsak, Frost and Jane were too busy passing notes about everything from Maths (which happened to be their class prior) to the origin of food, more specifically lunch meat. The class was a quiet one as Miss Isles tried to re-instate herself as the authority figure and also to make sure that work was still getting done despite having had substitutes for the past two weeks. She knew how easy it was for students to get lazy with their work when there was no one to stop them.

When the time finally arrived, Jane sat at the front of the classroom, working hard on her English speech. It wasn't due for another two weeks, but she wanted to get it done so any inevitable mishap that was to occur in the meantime wouldn't cause a problem.

As she sat with her head down, eyes following her pen move briskly back and forth between the sides of the page, her thoughts began to drift back to why she sent that e-mail. Like many free moments, her brain knew exactly how to get back to and amplify any stressful things that may have crossed her mind. Her eye brows began to furrow, and her writing slowed nearly to a stop.

Although Miss Isles didn't notice immediately, it was only a moment or two before she noticed that her student had stopped working. She considered that perhaps Jane was just thinking about her work, but the look on her face suggested distress more than curiosity or recall.

"Is everything alright, Jane?" She said very politely.

Jane's head snapped up at the question.  
"What?" She paused, recomposing herself. "Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah," she repeated. She let out out this small sigh of despair at the end of her words, despite her efforts to refrain.

Miss Isles didn't believe her for a second. At this point though, she wasn't sure of at what point to stop pushing Jane for insight or information. Despite her better judgement, she decided that it was safe to push a little bit further as long as she tread carefully. "Would you like to try again?"

Jane's eyes shot up surprised at the slight sense of smugness in her voice. She would have even taken a bet that there was a tiny bit of sarcasm in that question too. She couldn't help but smile a little. Taking a moment to refocus her mind though, she relented, "Honestly, it's just kind of stupid." She smiled a half smile before looking back to her work and feigning that she had any intention of returning to it.

"Jane," she said gently but firmly. "There are very few things in this world that are 'stupid' as you would call them. And," she paused, "I would presume that more often than not you think that things in your life are… 'Stupid.'" She even found saying the word unpleasant.

"Heh," she forced out. She thought about defending herself but it too seemed rather stupid. "Nah, it's nothing, really," she said unbelievably. "Just family."

Miss Isles nearly let out a small laugh as she heard the words "just family." Family was many things but very few of those could be described as 'just'. Reassuringly, she smiled kindly. "You are terribly noble. Do you know that?"

Jane scoffed, "Pardon?"

"Noble," she repeated. "I understand that families can do many wonderful and equally awful things, and yet you choose to protect them. This, I find to be a noble act."

Jane looked perplexed. "It's family… I'm sure you'd do the same," She shrugged.

Miss Isles pursed her lips and clasped her hands in front of her quite sadly, if that were possible. She paused momentarily and took a deep breath before speaking. "No," she paused again. "I would not." She didn't like that this was the case, but it was and she felt a responsibility to the truth.

Jane saw a sadness in her teacher's eyes that she very rarely saw. "What d'you mean?" She asked carefully.

Quick to bounce back, Miss Isles said, "A question for a question. Within reason, of course. After all, I am your teacher." She raised an eye brow as she made this proposition.

She took a moment to process the idea before saying nearly happily, "deal." Although she wasn't fond of talking about herself, she was always excited about learning more about others. "But I get to go first," she said, practically excitedly.

Miss Isles pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes before saying, "Deal. What would you like to ask?" As she said the words, there was a clear feeling washing over her that reminded her this was undeniably a dangerous area to be walking into, figuratively speaking.

"Hm, what do you mean you wouldn't?" Jane said, intrigued.

Already, she was regretting this. All the same though, she felt it only fair to attempt an answer. It wasn't necessarily inappropriate, simply uncommonly spoken of in these sorts of circumstances. She had to think for a moment to figure out how best to word her response. When she finally came to an answer she was content with, she said, "My family and I are … somewhat separated from each other. We all lead very independent and often dissimilar lives."

Jane just stared with a blank look on her face. She used all the energy she had to fight a very strong desire to say childishly "AND?" She decided though that, for now at least, this may simply be something to add to the long list of things that she did not quite understand about the very puzzling human being before her. Still very much Jane though, she said with a smile, "I wouldn't have expected anything different."

"Really?" She questioned involuntarily. Jane's response had her a little scared that perhaps she does not present herself the way she intends to.

She raised an eye brow, "Are you sure that's what you want to waste your question on?"

Miss Isles furrowed her eye brows with confusion and frustration. "The question is not about you though," she argued.

Jane looked smugly at the woman at the front of the room. She enjoyed holding the power, even if it was just for a second. "Nah-uh, the deal said nothing about who the questions were about."

"Whom," she corrected. "I suppose," she relented, "you are correct though. So no, that is not what I would like to use as my question." She thought long and hard about what she wanted to ask, but kept being drawn back to the same question. "If you were feeling dejected, would you come to me?"

Jane looked a little confused. "Dejected?"

"Unhappy," she re-iterated confidently with a kind tone of voice.

"Ah," she paused, nodding in understanding. At that moment she feared where this conversation may have been heading. "I guess, I just…" She looked away before attempting to reclaim her ground. "Don't really ' _talk about my feelings'_."

Even by looking, you would know that Maura's mind was already hard at work. "What if, perhaps, I could offer you refuge?" She proposed. "For example, you could use my class room. That way you would be safe and, if you felt so inclined, you could have an environment where you were free to express yourself without fear of harm or judgement." The offer was genuine. Although she herself didn't quite understand it, it was an idea she thought had good foundations, and was one she hoped Jane would take her up on.

"I wouldn't hate it, I guess," she conceded. It certainly wasn't her usual thing to do, but Jane was thankful for the offer. Part of her even wanted to actually take her up on it, only if needed of course. "Wait, so that's it?"

"That is what?" Miss Isles said quite satisfied with herself.

"That's your question?" Jane was confused.

Without over thinking it, she said pleased, "Yes," and she smiled.

The smile was well-received and Jane was thankful for how at ease she always felt when with Miss Isles.

* * *

 **Thank you kindly for reading my story.**  
 **I would really love to hear any thoughts you have on this chapter and/or about the future of the story.**

 **Hope that you are very happy and well.**  
 **You are wonderful.**


	15. Chapter 15

Following that afternoon's study session, Jane began to feel something she hadn't felt before, at least not that she could recall. She didn't quite know how to describe it. Despite the slightly daunting prospect of discussing her 'feelings' with Miss Isles, she was still overwhelmingly happy.

To her, Miss Isles was kind, beautiful, strong and, more so than she could define, had this hidden self that she found herself very much relating to. She felt they had similar aspects of themselves and, to Jane, this was very reassuring. To see someone who was perhaps a lot like her all grown up, succeeding and, at the very least, functioning. More often than not this was a real fear that crossed her mind.

Lingering in the back of her mind though was a sense of sadness; one that not even her recently found happiness could drown out. This, she attributed to the fact that it wasn't a relationship that had much potential to be anything more than it already was. It wasn't necessarily that she wanted to be _in_ a relationship with her, but she found herself thinking that, _like… we can't even be friends_. And it wasn't a completely unjustified thought. As teacher and student, it was very unlikely that it could eventuate into anything more than just that. All the same though, Jane was determined to at least exercise it to its full potential, whatever that may be.

•••

Jane left for school early the next couple of days under the guise that she needed to study. This was not the case though. Although a little extra study rarely went amiss, Jane was simply beginning to feel like school was, not only a safe place to be but also, a good place to be overall. So, she went down the corridor and grabbed a couple of workbooks with plans to make notes. As always, Jane had music playing quite loudly in her ears and, for the most part, it blocked out the outside noise. She liked it this way as it meant that she could focus on studying without distractions.

She was leant up against the wall opposite her locker with one leg bent on the ground and the other with a flat foot to the ground and knee toward the ceiling.  
"Jane," Miss Isles said pleasantly as she entered the hallway. Realising that she hadn't heard though, she waited until she got closer before again saying, "Good morning, Jane," as she leant to the side a little to put her head in Jane's line of sight.

"Crap," she mumbled, ripping the earphones out of her ears. "Sorry, Miss," she spoke up, still flustered.

Miss Isles just smiled as if to find Jane's response a little amusing. "What are you doing here so early?" She said glancing at the time on her watch. 7:32am. After asking the question aloud, she realised that she wasn't sure whether to be simply surprised or concerned.

"Nothing really. Just studying," she said with an even tone.

It reassured her slightly, though she wasn't really sure why she was there at this time still. "I see," she paused, unsure of how to proceed. "You're welcome to use my classroom if you'd like. Sitting on the floor can put a lot of pressure on your spine."

Jane's face looked hesitant, and Miss Isles noticed.

"I will be working in the room anyway," she said offering a little comfort to the idea.

It sounded pleasant, quite honestly, but Jane was indeed hesitant because, unlike after school sessions, students (and teachers) would begin to arrive soon. So, politely and with a smile she said, "Nah, that's okay. I'm good here. Thanks though." And she meant it.

Miss Isles nodded kindly and said, "Not at all. Have a good day, Miss Rizzoli." With that, she was out of the hallway in seconds, heels and all.

Unknown even to herself, this was the reason she came to school early. For a chance to encounter Miss Isles and perhaps even have a meaningful, if not educational, discussion with her. After even a very brief conversation, she felt more confident and more ready to take on the day. She was very quickly beginning to idolise her teacher, with only one regret about it all. Inconvenience. She would have loved to have spoken for a longer period, and more so to have taken her up on the offer of studying in her room, but it was dangerous. And although this wasn't a fact that she liked, it was one that she knew. If the right student saw them, another unfounded rumour could start and do just as much damage as if it were true. And if the right teacher saw them they could both be strongly advised against it, regardless of the fact that there was nothing immoral or unlawful.

It was about eight before other students began to arrive. She knew that not taking her up on it was the right decision, she just hated that this was the case. She wanted so much just to say, "Hey, let's go get lunch. We can talk about school or not school… there's food, so it can't be all bad, right?" Even in her mind she had a wicked sense of humour. Jane wondered if that made her gay. If that really meant that she had a crush on a girl - a teacher of all people too. – She assured herself though that this wasn't the case. She simply wanted an opportunity to get to know someone without the restrictions enforced by the typical student-teacher dynamic. That didn't mean she wanted to date them, right? Jane wasn't sure that even she believed what she was saying, but she allowed herself to be persuaded just this once so that she could get on with her day.

"Hey Jane," Frost said chirpily.

"Hey Frost," she said looking up to him.

Frost dumped his bag on the ground and then sat down beside her, groaning with every movement.

"What's with you?" She stifled a laugh.

"Yesterday at baseball I scored an epic home run," he said proudly.

Jane tilted her head slightly before childishly remarking, "And?" Knowing that there had to be more to the story.

He paused. "And… it might have involved a very uncomfortable splits…"

She couldn't help but laugh now. "Impressive," she said with a nod.

"Hey, hey!" Vince said loudly as he came down the hall. "How is the ballerina today?" He mocked.

Frost rolled his eyes. "Oh ha. Ha. But whose team was it that won?"

"We're on this same team. It was training," he reminded with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah… Well, my pretend team won." He joked back.

"Get a room, you two," she said shaking her head playfully.

"Where were you yesterday anyway?" Frost asked curiously.

"Parents." She said in a low voice.

"Ah, say no more," he waved his hands from side to side.

"Ooh… parents. Fun," Vince commented.

"Yep, but it seemed to be out of their system this morning. Anyway, what's new with you guys?"

"Not much," Frost said pretty casually.

"Actually," Vince got excited. "I picked up the new GTA afterwards." His grin was smug. He knew how much Frost had been wanting to get it.

"You didn't!?" Frost exclaimed, now incredibly jealous.

"I did, and," he paused, "if you're nice to me I might just let you play it." He winked.

Jane just laughed at their petty pride battles.

•••

"Hey Miss," Jane said chirpily as she walked into the room that afternoon.

She was still working through some things from her last lesson, and was momentarily stunned when she heard Jane's voice. "Good afternoon," she said exhaling with relief. "You startled me."

"Oops," she looked embarrassed. "Sorry."

Miss Isles just smiled kindly. With a professional and polite tone she said, "That's more than alright, Jane. How are you?" Trying to keep the mood light.

"Awesome," she said with the slightest hint of sarcasm. She was genuine, but had involuntarily put a flare of sarcasm on her words to give them more of an impact. "Thank you," she said almost quietly, trying to redeem herself. She attempted to erase the previous statement by chirpily asking, "How're you, Miss?"

Again, Miss Isles found herself smiling at Jane's response. "I am quite well, thank you. Do you require assistance with your work today?" She said kindly.

"Um…" she paused to think. "I do have some history work to do, along with other stuff but yeah… I don't know if I'll need help yet."

"Alright then," she said as her smile faded naturally into the conversation. "If you do, please don't hesitate to ask them," she said genuinely. "I have some work to complete also, but please don't hesitate to ask me anything if you want to."

"Thanks," she said as she settled into her seat and pulled out some books. Looking at her school diary for today, the first piece of homework to complete was for maths, so that's where she started.

About ten minutes into her work, she inquired, "Can I ask you something?" She was a little bit hesitant to interrupt Miss Isles, but found herself doing so anyway.

Miss Isles was still quite immersed in her work, and without raising her head she simply sounded, "Mhm."

Jane looked around shyly, and said, "It's not exactly work related."

She put her pen down beside her papers, and looked up with a kind expression. "Yes, Jane?"

"Well, I have a question for you, but what if we do a question for a question?"

Miss Isles considered the proposal, but said as gently as she could, "Does it require immediate attention?" After last time, she had thought long and hard about the events of that day and she was fearful of where the conversation could have lead. She knew it was then entirely possible for it to lead there again.

With that one simple phrase, Jane was saddened. The logical side of her knew it wasn't necessarily unreasonable, but the illogical was still hurt by the fact. "I guess not," she said quite quietly.

Miss Isles then felt bad too. It wasn't her intention to put the young girl down. She let out a small sigh as she tried to find the right words. The only rational response she could think of was the truth. "It's not that I want to discourage your curiosity," she said. "In fact, I adore seeing that sense of curiosity alive and well in all of the young people I teach. Unfortunately though there are professional boundaries that must be respected." She hated that she was saying all this. The truth of the matter was that she liked talking to Jane in class and independently, and she loved the opportunity to learn more about her.

"Nah, I get it," she said forcing a smile. Truthfully, she did understand, but that doesn't mean that she liked it.

She smiled with despair, knowing the truth behind the words. She nodded to acknowledge Jane's response. "I am glad," she lied. A part of her had almost hoped that Jane would push the boundaries.

The next 45minutes or so was spent working relatively quietly, except for the occasional school work related question.

All afternoon following that, Jane was stuck with this feeling of hurt. She got it. Just like her fear of having teachers or students see/find out, she figured this was a concern that Miss Isles had. She wanted to not take it personally, but was finding it very hard as her sense of despair grew more and more overbearing. What Miss Isles didn't know, and what Jane would never admit, was that she was asking in the hopes that she would then reciprocate a personal question. She wanted to open up to her teacher a bit, but a part of her knew that she was going to need a nudge to do so.

Little did she know, Miss Isles was conflicted by the matter, also. She had sensed Jane's insecurities from quite early on, and wanted so much not to add to them. There really was a concern on her mind regarding the potentially inappropriate direction in which the conversation could lead. All the same though, she wanted to know more about Jane and what made her tick. She knew there was more to her than what could be seen on the surface. She also knew what it was like to brave through adolescence with little to no support from those around you. She swore to herself that she would make up for it, she just didn't quite know how yet.

* * *

 **Hello lovely reader,**

 **Thank you so very much for reading my story, and please do feel free to leave any feedback, comments, or general ideas down below. It means the world to me to see that people have taken the time to do so.**

 **You can also find me on Tumblr at rizzoliandislesformiles.  
Feel free to message me too; I like new friends. **

**Thank you again for reading.**

 **PS: I worked it out and we're about half way through the school year, for anyone who's wondering.**

 **PPS: There may be a bit of delay in the publication of the next chapter, but looking forward to sharing it. Apologies.**


	16. Chapter 16

Over the days that followed, Jane descended into a rather unhappy place. Those around her wouldn't know though, that she made sure of.

In history class the following Friday, Jane was her usual self if, perhaps, a little quieter. It wasn't really something onlookers would notice. To be honest though, onlookers often don't take note of much at all. She used this to her advantage.  
She sat with Vince and Frost, chatted a little and did her work, just like any other day.

Nearing the end of class, Miss Isles, who had not publicly responded to anything out of the ordinary from Jane so far, was walking up and down the aisles of the tables assisting students where help was needed. The class was working in near silence at this point, so any conversations she was having were quiet ones.  
When she reached Jane, she gracefully bent down beside her and quietly said, "Would you mind staying a moment after class?"

A little shocked by the question, Jane just nodded politely in response, allowing Miss Isles to move on to the next student. Had you seen Jane's face at that point, you would have been witness to a widening of her dark eyes that made her feel very vulnerable.

"I'll meet you guys later," Jane said to Vince and Frost as they packed up their books and began shuffling out of the room with the other students.

"Um," she said shyly, "Yes, Miss?" She said as she approached the front of the classroom. It was becoming apparent that she could pretend to be a lot of different things for a lot of different people, but it was always a little bit harder with Miss Isles.

Miss Isles looked at the young girl before her and pressed her lips together despondently. She hated seeing any of her students like this. She tried to smile, and kindly asked, "Are you alright, Jane?"

"What?" She let out involuntarily in her usual, nearly snarky, tone. She didn't understand.

Miss Isles sighed softly and continued, "You don't seem yourself today." Her words were thoughtfully spoken and full of care.

Jane wasn't sure what she knew or how much she knew, so she tread carefully. "Yeah, why?" She said casually with a smile. She tried to be in control, but even she thought her tone was suspicious at the least.

Not surprised by her blatant deflection, she said, "You simply seem to be a little less involved in class today." She really did care for Jane and for her wellbeing.

Jane didn't quite see that though. She was still getting over their last study session and was unsure of how to take her words. She decided playing it cool was the safest option, and so she did. "Yeah," she forced a smile. "Just a little tired."

Miss Isles smiled disappointedly and relented, "Okay," despite her disbelief of the matter.

"Anyway," Jane said politely, "I should really go."

She watched the young girl leave her classroom and was saddened. She knew people like Jane, who would hide their emotions away from the world. Whether it was to protect those around them or protect themselves, she knew it almost always lead to damaging themselves. She knew something was off with Jane today and wanted to press her on it but saw that Jane had no interest in going into it. Miss Isles did consider her options during that conversation as it took place. She could have continued pushing, however she knew also knew how likely it was that she would be pushed away or hurt and that was certainly not something she would ever wish to do.  
Unable to find a suitable way to encourage Jane, she decided that perhaps the best response, if not her only response, was to offer an apology. When discussing matters personal to her, she found that often what she wrote conflicted with what she felt. The delicate nature of this conversation made her even more overwhelmed by her thoughts.

 _To: Jane Rizzoli_

 _Subject: History_ _– That seems non-specific, but I don't know what else to call it that wouldn't appear inappropriate._

 _Good afternoon Jane,_

 _I would like to apologise for earlier today._ _– I feel entirely awful. -_ _It was not my intention to put you on the spot, but I suppose I knew the potential outcomes beforehand_ _. –_ _What am I saying? Hell, it was probably even likely. I guess I was just hoping you would feel comfortable opening up to me. You need to trust some, anyone. You need someone to lean on who won't run away or judge… *sigh* Do you even realise how much I want to be that person? I want to be a friend, not the enemy. Just someone who understands. -_ _I am very sorry_ _. – Please, brave girl: I'm so sorry!_

 _If you would like to discuss this or anything else further, I will be in my office after school today._ _– I hope she comes… I hope more that she's okay. -_ _Otherwise feel free to send an e-mail_ _. – At the very least, let me know you don't hate me. Not just for my sake. I love talking to you; you're remarkable… I know what that feels like though. Society tends to associate that with goodness, but often forget that often what is positive can be equally negative._

 _No 'regards', not in this e-mail._

 _Miss Isles_

She didn't really know how to feel after sending this e-mail. The logical part of herself tried to convince her that this was rationally all she could do, and that no amount of fretting or panicking would change Jane's response to it. The rest of her though wasn't having any of that calm nonsense. In stressful situations she would usually turn to meditation but, right now, she was saddened by the event and instead simply found herself wish it hadn't happened. That feeling was rapidly taking over her and she was struggling to fight it off.

She sat at her desk for a while quite lost in her own thoughts. It wasn't until her phone buzzed loudly against the wood of the table that she was pulled out of it. About ten minutes had passed since she had sent that e-mail and her state of mind at this point was dishevelled at the least. Unfortunately though, she had one more class to get through today and the students were due in less than half an hour. She knew she had to get on, and so she slowly and quite absent-mindedly began collecting her work and heading to her office to put some things down before her next class.

•••

 _Seriously? That's what she does?_

Jane was overwhelmed with equal amounts of confusion and frustration.

 _First she goes and tells me we can't talk, then she says we can?_

Jane wanted to understand it but she didn't and she hated that. More so though, she hated how much it was effecting her.  
A part of her knew that what she was feeling wasn't entirely directed at Miss Isles, despite the fact that she very much wanted it to be. A large portion of it was aimed at herself for being vulnerable, for revealing her weakness to someone she barely knows in any sense other than 'they're good at history', and for not knowing why she still wanted to talk to Miss Isles after all this.

 _It's so stupid. Why? She's the one that caused all this, so why on earth do I still want to talk to her?_

She paced back and forth in her room quite annoyed by the whole situation. For a lot of her life she didn't speak much of her feelings because of three reasons: one – she didn't see the point because it didn't make her feel better and it certainly didn't solve anything, two – they were nobodies else's problems, three – she didn't understand why she [and others] would often respond with seemingly unrelated emotions after different events.  
These circumstances were no different, at least not really. Here she was, with a person whom she quite liked as both a teacher and friend who was sending some very confusing signals. As result, despite being annoyed with said person because of the signals, she wanted to go and seek comfort and approval from them. This wasn't really something she had felt before, and she wanted to know why. Not so much why she hadn't felt it previously, but more so why she was feeling it now.

By now Jane's frustration began fading as sadness took its place. She wasn't really angry, just confused. Ultimately, she wanted a solution whether that meant talking to Miss Isles or completely cutting her out. Either way, the situation could have closure and she could move on. She wasn't sure how to get to that point though, so she waited a couple of days before replying to the e-mail. Thankfully, it was the weekend, so it wasn't an issue she had to face right away.

* * *

 **Hey reader,**

 **Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I'd really love to hear any thoughts you might have (good or bad) about the story so far and the future of it.**

 **Thank you again for reading and for being wonderful.**

 **CC**

 **PS: Sorry to anyone who read this before the update just now. There are sometimes issues when uploading documents, so the e-mail may have been difficult to read. Sorry!**


	17. Chapter 17

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Jane's emotions had paled but were not forgotten. She wanted to reply to the e-mail from Miss Isles before she left for school. She decided that sending the e-mail was better than bumping into Miss Isles and being forced to have an awkward and potentially emotional conversation; she was certainly not interested in that. Having said that, a part of her really hoped it would happen, although she'd never admit that.  
She still felt this inexplicable pull towards Miss Isles. Jane didn't know whether it was because she felt like Miss Isles was a safe person, or whether it was just an odd emotional response that had no grounds.

Despite being utterly confused by Miss Isles, Jane was still a pretty mature young girl and decided that even though she didn't want to, this was a conversation that should really be had in person.

 _To: Maura Isles_

 _Subject: Re: History_

 _Morning Miss,_

 _Would it be alright if we talked about this tomorrow at studying?_

 _Jane R – Year 12_

She couldn't get herself to write more than that. Truthfully, she didn't really know what to say.

Regardless of all that was going on with Miss Isles, Jane was in a pretty good mood.

Their baseball game this weekend was great, her family hadn't done anything excessively insane, she got all her school work done, and she had time to chill out with Frost and Korsak.

The next couple of days at school were pretty normal. More importantly though, they were no cause for concern for any of her teachers.

On Tuesday afternoon as she entered Miss Isles' classroom, she said, "Hey Miss."

Miss Isles smiled a small smile and said, "Hello Jane, how are you today?"

"I'm fantastic," she said melodramatically. She smiled, "You?"

She let out a small giggle at the young girl's response. Honestly, she was happy to see Jane being her usual self. "I am quite well, thank you Jane."

Jane sat down at one of the tables in the front row and began pulling out her pencil case and books.

There was a short silence before Jane practically blurted, "Can we talk about the other day?"  
It wasn't something she thought could wait until after she'd done her school work. Jane had decided before coming today that she was just going to try and be honest. After all, she very much wanted to be honest with Miss Isles, it simply wasn't something that was in her nature. She was so used to lying to protect herself, that it was an overwhelming concept. All the same, she wanted to try. She figured the truth had to be easier than all the energy it took to hide everything all the time.

"Yes," she said with and understanding nod. "We can." In truth, she'd hoped to have the conversation early on also.

"Good," she said with a nod. She didn't know exactly where to start.

Thankfully, Miss Isles jumped in before she had to decide. "I truly would like to apologise for putting you in a rather uncomfortable position."

"Mm," Jane said processing her words. "That's okay," she relented. She believed it, it just seemed like such it had taken so much effort to get this point. "I just don't get it," she said expressing her frustration.

Miss Isles looked perplexed, and simply sat awaiting Jane's explanation.

"First you say that you don't think it's ' _appropriate_ ' to talk about stuff, then you go and hold me back after class just to talk about stuff?" Jane was irritated and confused.

She took a deep breath as she tried to find an answer for the young girl. Although she would have perhaps worded it a little differently, Miss Isles couldn't deny what Jane was saying. "I'm sorry," she said honestly. "I truly apologise for being unclear." She paused again, looking for the words.

Jane just nodded a little sardonically, with every ounce of her being wanting to yell back 'why then were you?' She refrained though and waited for her to continue.

"I realise how confusing this may have been for you. The afternoon last week when you asked if we could exchange an answer for an answer I was hesitant because, as you have to understand, this could potentially lead to conversations that would not be appropriate for a teacher and a student."

"Then why'd you do it the first time?" She asked, still a little irritated.

Miss Isles once again took a deep breath before she spoke, almost like a sigh. "I have a duty of care for all of my students, and you were no different," she lied. Jane was very different and the level of care she was exhibiting was beyond what she would for most students. "So I agreed in the hopes that you might feel more comfortable opening up to me. I wanted you to know that I cared for you." She bit her lip as she as the last sentence escaped her lips.

It was however, successful in helping Jane become less mad at the whole situation. She allowed herself to believe Miss Isles' words because she so terribly wanted to believe them. "You cared for me?" Her words were soft.

Miss Isles shared a small smile to signify that yes, she did care.

There was a short moment of silence before Jane's annoyed tone was heard again. "What does that even mean?"

Miss Isles was taken back momentarily. Just before, she would have thought (hoped) that they were coming closing to reaching a resolution and so now she too was a little lost. She took a second to centre herself before saying in the most honest way she could, "Jane, I care for you. I have seen you in class, and you are so very bright. It hurts me to see a student so bright and with so much potential display signs of distress, which you have."

Jane picked up on the innocence of her words, but found herself still wanting to fight. Maybe she didn't want to believe that someone cared. Maybe she wasn't ready. Still, as calmly and in the most non-threatening way she could handle, she said, "How do you even know that?" She genuinely wanted to know. Partly how she noticed it in her and partly why she knew to look.

She sighed once again, but with sadness this time. She knew what it was like to feel like nobody understood. She smiled kindly in the hopes that Jane would see it. She wasn't sure whether it was ethical to open up to a student, but she very much wanted to prove her sincerity. Glancing down at her desk, she admitted, "When I was your age, I also experienced some things that I found to be … distressing." She wasn't really used to sharing her emotions, and that was about as open as she could manage right now.

"You?" Jane said now more confused than before, but for an entirely different reason. "You're like… perfect. You're smart, you're pretty, you're nice." She said as if it were obvious.

She couldn't help but smile at how simply Jane had put it. It quickly faded into an unwilling look of sadness.

Jane could see the sadness creeping up inside her and suddenly realised that the woman before her was telling the truth.  
"Oh." She felt kind of selfish at this point.

Miss Isles smiled kindly to assure her that she'd done nothing wrong.  
There was a moment of quiet as the each processed what had just happened.

Miss Isles was the one to break the silence as she said, "What if we agree that if there is something to be discussed regarding your life or your wellbeing, I will let you be the one to initiate the conversation."

Jane only had time for one nod before Miss Isles spoke again.

"But," she exclaimed, "That also means that you have to be willing to trust me a little bit too." She smiled with lips pressed together.  
"I do not judge, and I will not disclose our discussions to anyone else…" She looked a little sad again. "You deserve to have someone to talk to whom you trust, and if I can be that person then I would really like to be."

Jane's initial response was fear and she had to take a few seconds to consider her options. As sad as this may seem, this was as close to a person, particularly a female, that Jane had ever felt. She decided that she didn't want to pass that up. "Deal."

* * *

 **Thank you so very much for continuing to read this story, and I really hope you're enjoying it!**

 **Would love to hear any thoughts you might have. C:**

 **Hope you're very happy and well.**


	18. Chapter 18

After their conversation yesterday afternoon, they were both quite pleased with the outcome. Neither were particularly happy with the circumstances to begin with, but they were more than glad that the conversation was had and that they were able to come to some sort of amicable agreement, to say the least.

It was a big thing for Jane to have opened up to someone. Even more so, knowing that it was something that she actually wanted to do. It had been nearly 24hours since it happened, and Jane was so far not experiencing any anxieties regarding the matters discussed. She was relieved. No; she was happy.

Miss Isles was quite surprised that she allowed herself to be honest with a student about her past. Although she didn't divulge much, it wasn't something she'd thought professionally appropriate nor necessary in the past. _I suppose Jane is different…_ She was also quite aware of how big of a deal it was to Jane, and knew how careful she was going to have to continue to be. She hated the thought of destroying someone's trust, particularly when they don't often have the confidence to trust others. _Particularly Jane's._

Unlike Jane though, every ounce of Miss Isles had been wanting to properly evaluate the success of their conversation since the moment it ended. However, having never been entirely fond of her own emotions, she had made it a habit only to rethink an event through 24hours after the fact. She found this was the best way to reduce emotional blurring of the events recalled, it would allow her to maintain normal day to day function, as well also increasing her own objectiveness so she would be less biased. Although it wasn't something that she often reminded herself of, it also allowed her to be as minimally emotional overall as possible. She's never really enjoyed feeling various emotions and found it was often easiest to not feel them at all. Having said that, when faced with the emotions of others she was often incapable of inhibiting her own, and that sometimes bothered her. All the same though, she intended to treat this situation no differently to any other.

The 24hour mark could not have passed unnoticed today. As soon as school had ended that day, Miss Isles practically began counting down the seconds until the clock finally struck 3:35pm. At that moment, it were as if the floodgates had been opened in her mind and she was ready to analyse every single aspect of their conversation. Breaking her rule ever so slightly though, she had spent a large portion of her free time in the past day thinking that it was a good thing for Jane. She didn't allow herself to go into too much detail otherwise she would find it too hard to compartmentalise it. Despite her habits though, she did think it was a good thing for Jane, even if she did push her a little bit. _If I were her, I would have needed a little 'guidance'_ , she thought to herself.

Trying to surpass her emotional attachment to the conversation she'd had with Jane, Miss Isles went through the instance chronologically.  
A little different than usual though, she was finding it rather hard to do this.  
Each time she recalled something that either of them had said, she was overwhelmed with the emotion she felt when it was said.

While she was certainly happy that Jane had seemed more at ease with her. And she was pleased that she'd also agreed to talk to her should she ever need to. In spite of these very positive emotions though, she kept being confronted with the one emotion: sadness.

Whether it was sadness because she didn't like seeing Jane go through a rough time, or sadness because she too had been there and felt what Jane was feeling, it was sadness all the same.

Although she never would have admitted it, she began fearing that this sadness was more than just a direct response. She feared that it may in fact be a marker that perhaps her relationship with Jane, whilst it may be good for the young girl, was a negative one for herself.

As soon as Miss Isles arrived home that afternoon, she got changed into her leggings and a singlet and went for a run. Right now, she wanted more than nearly anything to clear her mind and get some fresh air. So that's exactly what she did.

It took a while to draw her focus away from the circumstances with Jane but by the end of her run, nearly an hour and a half later, she was feeling quite rejuvenated.  
Her head was clear, the endorphins had begun to kick in and give her a little boost, and she happily came to the conclusion that it was definitely good for Jane, and perhaps even a little positive for her also. She put the fear she was feeling done to simple nerves and left it at that.

* * *

 **This chapter is just a short insight into the mind of Miss Maura Isles.  
Hope you enjoyed reading it. Would love to hear any thoughts you have.**

 **Looking forward to posting more for you all.**

 **CC**


	19. Chapter 19

"So you're saying that Godzilla is better than Dracula?" Vince asked with attitude.

"Duh, 'cause he's huge and could kick anyone's ass he wanted!" Frost returned.

"Mm… I don't know," Jane said as she took a sip of her drink. "I feel like… yeah, I'd be scared of Godzilla, but I can just go hide from him. Whereas Dracula, well he's got a whole crew of goons and I might not even know if I were standing next to one," she raised an eye brow.

Frost rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but who cares?!" he exclaimed. "The only thing a vampire can do is make you immortal," he argued. "I don't even see how that's a threat. _Godzilla_ ," he exclaimed, "on the other hand, is huge and _can kill you!"_ He didn't know how Korsak and Jane were failing to grasp this concept.

"Ah," Vince said philosophically, "but do you want to live forever?"

Frost's jaw dropped as he rhetorically asked, "Is that even a question?" By this point his frustration was growing from playful to 'are you freaking kidding me'.

"Okay, okay," Jane said calming them both down. "Why don't we just say they're both super cool and move on?" She tried to smile persuasively. "I know! Trials are coming up; have you guys studied?" Even she knew it was a desperate move but she decided that for the health of all mankind (and the two guys in front of her) that it was the best option for the moment.

Vince looked smug as if he'd one with his maturity, and Frost just rolled his eyes.

"Ew," Frost said, "don't remind me. I've been studying like crazy for these things."

"Tell me about it," Korsak said empathetically. "My parents have been bugging me non-stop."

Jane let out a little laugh, "Thank god it's not just me. I think they're more worked up about them than I am!"

"Right?" Frost remarked in agreeance. "It's not even like we're bad kids or anything. Like, I'm pretty sure we'd all be studying enough anyway."

"Ye-" Jane paused to think about it before definitively decided that, "Yeah! We would."

"Anyway, speaking of… I should go before my mum loses it. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow?" Frost said with a smile.

"Yep, unless I magically become a millionaire," Jane joked.

"Or I go pro at baseball," Vince joined in.

"So, I'll definitely see you Vince. Jane, might actually have a chance," he too jabbed casually.

"Oh ha – ha," Vince retorted. By the time he finished his sentence though, Frost was already half way across the food court blending in with the rest of the Sunday afternoon shoppers.

Jane checked her phone, "man, is that the time already?"

"I gotta be home back 6:30," he added.

"Yeah, I'll probably head off around the same time," she said casually. "Do you have anything you need to do?"

"Mm… Nah," Vince paused to think. "Oh actually, Fallout 4 just came out and I wanted to see how much it was."

"What 4?" She mocked, not knowing what Vince was talking about. "Is that like Fall Out Boy?"

"No! It's an awesome game. And if it's anything like the third one it's gonna be even awesomer."

"Wh- Oh… It's a video game," she smiled indicated her understanding.

"A 'video game'" he questioned. "More like a kick ass role playing platform," he said trying to make it sound more grown up.

"Yeah," she mocked in a low tone. "Anything role playing is _definitely_ a game." She laughed.

He smiled, then playfully returned, "well then, I won't let you play it with me."

"Oh," she sounded feigning hurt, "fine!"

"Fine," he quipped. "Anyway, is there anything you wanted to look at?"

Jane stood up from the table and gave herself a quick stretch before responding with, "Nah, not today."

Vince wasn't displeased as this just meant more time for it to look at games.

As they were walking towards to the game shop, Jane asked, "hey, do you still speak to Darren?"

"From baseball? Nah. We talked for a bit after he moved but not really. You?" He said informally.

"Yeah, from time to time."

"Why d'you ask?" He enquired.

"Nah, I was just flicking through photos last night on Facebook and came across the ones from a pizza dinner we went on."

Vince shrugged his shoulders casually before saying, "fair enough." By this point they were steps away from the front of the store and Vince was refocusing his energy toward the 'awesomer' game.

The truth was, not long after they first met Darren, Jane developed a bit of an overwhelming crush. In fact, if it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't have perfected the fine art of acting cool in awkward or uncomfortable situations… Well, as cool as a teenager whose heart is beating faster than the speed of light could be.

That's not why she brought it up though. Really, they hadn't seen each other in ages and Jane was no longer interested in him (particularly after he picked on one of her brother's trying to get some time alone for them). He had been on her mind because he was the last person she had a crush on, and therefore he became the reasoning in her argument as to why she couldn't be gay.

If she liked him, then she had to be straight, right?  
And so, she put her fascination with Miss Isles down to an over-reaction to someone who was showing her so much care; something she was not really used to.

* * *

 **Hey, I know I said I was going to cancel this story, and I do still reserve the right to.  
However, I really don't like giving up, so I am going to give it another go and see where it takes me. **

**Sorry for the inconvenience or if seems like I was just trying to get attention. That wasn't my intention.**

 **Hope you're happy and well.**

 **Would love to hear any thoughts you mi** ght have.


	20. Part II - Chapter 20

**PART TWO:** _ **WHERE ARE THEY NOW?**_

"…Blood pooling suggest the victim," the detective glanced at his notepad, "Jimmy Portlocker, was killed here."

"Mm," his partner concurred. "The centre's security said that at night this place is pretty well lit up but the area's considered a 'black spot' for the CCTVs."

"It seems odd that someone would do it in such a public place given the time of the murder. What'd the ME say? 6-8 hours ago?" She responded, looking towards the detectives waiting for a response.

One of them looked to his partner then back to Jane. "Yeah," he said quite sarcastically. "Thanks for the input rookie, now ah, why don't you go back to guarding that _very_ special yellow tape," he shooed.  
They both had a bit of a chuckle as they swatted her away like a fly.

Jane rolled her eyes slightly before saying "Yes, sir." The words were spoken through intensely gritted teeth. She absolutely hated the way the detectives treated beat cops, but still had high hopes to one day become one. A slightly more encouraging one though, she hoped.  
For now, despite being annoyed with their arrogance, she walked back to the edge of the secured perimeter. She inspected the crowd of sparsely position onlookers, - mostly the early birds out to do grocery shopping, - before considering if there was a way she could be useful in a way that wouldn't impede upon the detectives' work.

She once again scanned her surroundings, both the people and the structures, and still was to no avail. Instead of standing around protecting the scene as 5 other cops so tediously were, she decided to have a look around the rest of the carpark.

After ducking under the crime scene tape, she walked out about 20metres. Jane figured that anything closer would probably either be in sight or had already been seen by a police officer. The open parking lot had very few places to hide and relatively good visibility. She also realised though that that probably wasn't too useful considering the only things in the street were light industry offices and warehouses and it was unlikely that anyone would have been around to see it. She paced around pensively, keenly observing everything in her light of sight. It was mostly cigarette butts and little plastic bags up until she came to one spot, approximately 50 metres away from the scene. There was a small pool of, what appeared to be, blood near one side of an outlined parking lot.  
"Holy crap," she muttered with genuine surprise. She didn't really expect to find anything but knew that if she had stayed there was going to be a second body after she died of boredom.

Grabbing her phone from her pocket she took a photo of it just in case anything happened in her absence. She took the photo and began walking away when a thought occurred to her. After about three steps she thought, _a photo's not enough_. Instead she then radioed one of the other uniformed officers to inform the detectives. After contacting them, she stood waiting impatiently, her eyes switching between the blood on the ground and the direction from where the detectives should have been coming.

A few moments later, - actually a minute and a half, she timed it, - one of the detectives arrived barking, "What is it rookie?!"

"Sir, there's blood on the ground," she said a little too eagerly as she pointed downwards.

He all but rolled his eyes at her keenness before he looked to the ground. He's actually a little startled by the idea that she would have brought him over here for something less than monumental, but looking down he realised that it is indeed _monumental._ That is to say, it remarkably was important enough to have 'bothered' him for as, were it anything less, Jane wouldn't have gotten out of there in one piece. He relented, "Nice catch… Rizzoli, was it?"

She nodded elated. "Yes, sir."

"Nice catch," he repeated, as his voice faded making way for his thoughts.

•••

Miss Isles sits at her dining table sipping a homemade cappuccino staring at a mountain of work to get through. Term three is nearly over which means that, just a few weeks after they return, end-of-year reports will be due. As a result, she and many other teachers are faced with a humungous amount of marking to get through as well as then determining class rankings for both the assessment itself and for the entire year. If that weren't enough, she then had to write the actual reports for each of her students which, depending on the week, averaged at about 150 of them. This means 150 one-hundred word paragraphs of well-thought out and unique compliments and critiques for each of her students.  
Most teachers had a generic paragraph that was then simply modified with positive and negative words in the appropriate places, but Miss Isles believed that they deserved more than that. So, whilst she had a brief structure of the paragraph, each sentence was original, - at least, as original as one could be a hundred paragraphs into it.

Reports were never really something she enjoyed. She certainly appreciated the opportunity for growth in her students and herself, she knew the many negative things that could ensue because of a report card, good and bad. She also hated that it was expected that these evaluations would in fact be apt. What if she had made a mistake, or there were unmitigated circumstances that she was unaware of? What if she had developed a bias towards a student that she hadn't yet consciously picked up on? There was no way she could truly be objective, and that was something she'd always found valuable. The largest factor that inundated her was that she really only saw these students 3-4 hours a week. How could anyone really be expected to gather enough information on anyone to judge them?

As, not uncommonly, Miss Isles had once again begun to 'overthink' the situation, as people so often called it, she tried focus on what was important. So, regardless of the plaguing thoughts, she knew that it was simply an unfortunate aspect of teaching that she was just going to have to 'tough out'. And, although it didn't make her much fonder of the whole 'marking' process (or outcome), it was comforting to know that these were the final ones for the year. Well, almost. Some of her classes had one more test but it was mostly multiple choice and, like the children, she found these easier than extended response pieces. She didn't have to think about them as much, and could approach them logically as they had no emotionally motivated responses, at least not that she could decipher from a sheet of randomly coloured in oval shapes.

 **This is just a quick chapter to set the scene for the second part of this story.**

 **Hope you're happy and well.**


	21. Chapter 21

Jane and her partner had been called out to Target at the local shopping centre where their bag checker had decided it was a good idea to punch the perpetrator in the nose in order to detain them.

As they made their way through the mall, Jane had already begun observing those around her.

"You're paranoid, Rizzoli," her partner joked, never understanding why or how she was always so on edge and alert.

"Shut-up, Crocker," she nudged. She knew there was little chance of needing to be so hyper-aware in these circumstances, but she'd spent so long training herself to observe that she found it hard to turn it off. "Who punches someone in the nose over a t-shirt anyway?"

"It wasn't just the t-shirt. According to the staff member at the door, it was also a DVD."

Jane looked quite stunned, "That's like thirty bucks, maybe forty… Then again, people have done stupider things."

"Yeah, no arguments there," he laughed.

•••

As they walked out of the store, Crocker asked, "Now, is it just me, or was each worker there dumber than the last?"

Jane smiled, "oh no, that definitely wasn't just you," she shook her head. "And can you believe the customer didn't wanna press charges?!"

"I know, right? If some dude punched me for no reason, I'd be pretty p-o'ed."

There was genuine astonishment in both their voices.

"Tell me about it. I don't know what's more surprising, the fact that he didn't want to press charges or the fact that that worker didn't get fired for punching a guy who didn't even still anything." Glancing around as she spoke, she could have sworn that someone she'd passed looked familiar. Unable to immediately identify them though, she kept walking on with her colleague.

A few moments later she mumbled quite emphatically, "Holy shit!" She spun around on the spot to see if the person was still visible.

"I'm sorry, what?" Crocker joked, unsure of what just happened.

Jane didn't say. Instead she just said, "hang on," before practically running toward the golden haired figure who was currently walking in the opposite direction.

Crocker just shook his head as he watched her before deciding that he didn't know what just happened and wasn't entirely sure he cared. So he turned to the nearest shop window to peruse for a little while as he waited for his partner.

Without alerting her, Jane slowed to a stop just behind Miss Isles before using her 'cop voice' and saying, "Excuse ma'am, I'm going to need you to turn around." The smile on her face was huge as she watched a slightly startled woman cautiously turn towards her.

As soon as Miss Isles so whose face was in front of her, there was a wave of relief that washed over her. "Jane," she choked out with a smile, "you frightened me," she said lightly.

By the end of Jane's final year of school, their friendship, or 'morally and legally appropriate teacher-student relationship', had grown to be quite comfortable for the two of them and they both seemed to appreciate it. Bumping into each other some years later, then, was a very welcomed occurrence. It seemed that a friendship outside of school, were it permitted, was something that would have been well-received; certainly for Jane at least, but she had her suspicions that Miss Isles felt similarly.

"Sorry, I'll try again." So, excited, she said, "Hey Miss! How are you?"

Playing along Miss Isles said with a smile, "Jane! Oh my goodness. How are you?" She reached in for a hug which Jane happily reciprocated.

Letting go as she stood back she said, "I'm good, I'm good. You?" Her hands gesturing towards her teacher as if 'you' could mean something else.

Miss Isles just smiled at Jane's perfectly in character response. Even after many years, the sight of Jane's comfort in her personality made her quite happy. "I am rather well, thank you." She took a moment to comprehend Jane's clothes. "You're a police officer!" She exclaimed with pride.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Graduated a couple of years ago now," she said, still nodding in awe of the situation. "Wow, so the last time I saw you was the day after high school graduation."

"Yes, I suppose that is true," she says, her words a little surprised by how much time had passed.

"Hey," she said as she watched Miss Isles drift into her memories a little, "would you like to grab a coffee some time?"

"That would be lovely," she said kindly but with hesitation.

"It's not illegal or anything is it? I know that teacher-student relationships are frowned on and all, but I'm not your student anymore, right?" Her voice rose a little at the end hopefully as she became a little happy that this was, in fact, the case.

Miss Isles smiled pensively and took a deep breath before repeating, "That would be lovely." She kept her eyes focused on Jane's, still finding that she was unable to pinpoint what was going on inside her head.

"Cool," she said with a grin. "Here's my card…" she looked back to where she'd left her partner, "I've actually got to go, but I get off at five. Text me or something."

"I will most certainly do so." Miss Isles was really quite happy to have bumped into Jane. She had often wondered what had become of her, and today as she found out she was not at all disappointed.

"Bye Miss," she said contentedly before heading back to her partner.  
"Sorry, we can go," she said to Crocker.

"About time," he jabbed. "Who was that anyway? Old school friend?"

Jane paused before saying, "yeah."

"What? Was she a couple of grades above you?"

"Yeah," she said again. "Something like that."

Crocker knew there was probably more to her words, but their shifts were nearly over and he was tired. Instead, he just said, "Uh-huh…" with a subtle shake of the head.

•••

Jane sat waiting in one of the booths at the Dirty Robber. To an outsider, she'd have seemed calm, aloof even. Inside though, the anxiety was running pretty high. Thankfully, it was less than a minute before Miss Isles arrived and an immovable grin appeared on her face.

She stood up to greet her with a friendly hug with the slightest squeeze at the end. It was her way of saying thank you, or I appreciate you. Although she'd never admit it, it might have even been an 'I'm happy you're here' hug.

"Have you eaten?" Jane said a little awkwardly.

Miss Isles smiled kindly and said, "No, I haven't yet. I thought perhaps we could get something here?"

Jane nodded. The cool façade she was previously bearing was starting to deteriorate a little as she realised she wasn't actually sure what to say. As she glanced around the room trying to find the right topic, she caught a glimpse of Miss Isles whose gaze was fixed on her. "Sorry," she said a little shyly. "Guess I don't really know what I was expecting to say." There was plenty she wanted to say, she just didn't think it was appropriate, at least not right now.

"Not at all," she said pleasantly. "Actually," she revealed, "I was quite happy to have bumped into you."

The words made Jane feel a little special momentarily.

"I love seeing my students out in the world, and you are no different," she smiled honestly. "You had so much potential, and it seems that you are certainly on your way to fulfilling it." Her voice was a little more professional in nature this time.

Jane wasn't the only one having a little trouble putting their guard down and allowing things to flow. She smiled, before asking, "So are you still at Santa Sabina?"

"I was until recently, actually," she smiled naturally. "I began teaching at St. Joseph's College earlier this year."

"Oh cool. Are you liking it?" Jane asked attentively.

"Yes, I do," she smiled. "Boys are certainly challenging, but I believe I'm up for it," she remarked playfully.

Jane had no doubt that Miss Isles would have risen to the occasion. " _Please!_ If you're half as good a teacher as you were with m- my class, they're still going to end up the smartest and most well-behaved boys in the world." She acted casually, hoping that her stutter went unnoticed.

She smiled shyly, embarrassed by the flattery.

"So… high school graduation," she posed. "I remember, the day after I came to visit you, I still hadn't opened my results yet."

She smiled at the contrast of characters that Jane truly was. Whilst the tough on the outside, soft on the inside concept was nothing new or special, Jane presented it in such a remarkable way as to always be a little surprising. "Yes," she paused, "and as I recall you had no reason to be nervous," she raised an eye brow perceptively as if to say 'I often know best'.

"Yeah…" she said in a quiet sense of contentedness. "I guess not."

There was a slight lull in the conversation for a few moments, before Jane said very honestly, "Thank you…"

Miss Isles tilted her head a little, not quite sure what the gratitude was in aide of. "For what, Jane?"

She shrugged a little before saying, "for being so nice to me in high school."

Miss Isles once again smiled with a knowing look in her eyes. "Jane," she assured, "You were a such a capable and clever student. As a teacher it is my job to nourish that spirit and to encourage you." Her words, whilst true, denied the admittance of the fact that she was in fact rather special and that there was actually a lot of herself she saw in young Jane.

"Still, thanks, Miss" she smiled quite peacefully. She was genuinely thankful whether Miss Isles would take the compliment or not.

"Please, call me Maura," she smiled kindly. "I am no longer your teacher, after all."

"That's your first name?" she remarked quite surprised and impressed. _It's so pretty.  
_ "Anyway, so how's life been treating you?" She redirected quickly. "Any _men_ in your life?" She added in a low, seductive tone, raising an eye brow playfully. Subconsciously, the question had to be asked. _Besides,_ she reasoned, _what else are we going to talk about?_

Maura blushed a little, and then played it down with smile as if to laugh it off. "Life has been rather kind to me, thank you." She decided not to go into further details at this point, but continued on, "And you? Any suitors in your life?" She jabbed playfully.

Jane let out a short laugh, surprised that she would feel embarrassed by a question which she herself had just asked. "Nah, not really. There've been a couple guys along the way, but nothing serious," she smiled.

Maura simply nodded with a small smile. "I am certain the right man will come along soon enough," she smiled reassuringly.

Jane gave a nod and a shrug of her shoulders before saying, "Not soon enough according to my ma," she joked.

Maura let out a small laugh, "Parents often have such different expectations for their kids." She paused in thought before glancing back up and saying, "Well, I hope you find happiness… wherever that may lie for you."

 _There was that familiar person again_ , she thought. Someone who truly just wanted what was best for her. "Yeah, I hope you do too," she said honestly. "I'm sure your 'Prince Charming' will come out of the pipes sometime soon," she added with a little sarcasm.

* * *

 **Thank you kindly for reading.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the story.**

 **More so, I hope you're happy and well.**


	22. Chapter 22

A couple of slow days had passed since their catch up, and Jane decided that it was time for action.

 _Hey_ _Maura_ _– Do you wanna go out again sometime?_  
Jane sent cautiously.

She smiled when she opened the text message.

 _Hello Jane,  
That would be lovely. Did you have something in mind?_

Jane played it cool:  
 _Nah, not really. Just thought it might be something to do._

 _Fair enough. Still, I would love to. Is there a day or time that best suits you?_

 _Mm… Nope.  
_ She sent. _  
ACTUALLY!  
_ She typed immediately afterwards to get Maura's attention. _  
Probably Sunday if that's okay?_

Maura let out a small giggle as her phone vibrated three consecutive times as she received Jane's texts.  
 _Sunday is perfectly okay. Perhaps lunch?_

 _Can't say no to food. ;P But seriously, sounds good. Where d'you wanna go?_

Maura thought for a moment before responding. _  
Hm, there is a delightful restaurant close to my home I have been meaning to try. It is food of Chinese persuasion with a modern twist._

 _Yum, Chinese sounds great. Pick a time and I'll see you there._

•••

Jane arrived early again, and was seen to a table that Maura had booked in advance. The restaurant was on the second floor of a building (its top floor) and covered quite a large area. Jane guessed that it could probably seat about 100 people when full. For now, though, only about a third of the restaurant was occupied, most of which were large families or groups of friends. She suddenly felt like the number of guests she was dining with was very, _very_ intimate.

As she waited she had a quick look through the menu. She was quite astounded by the number of dishes that were available. And she loved that the menu had pictures of all the delicious foods. If she wasn't hungry before, the menu had definitely put her in the mood.

"Hello Jane," she said with a smile. "Have you been waiting long?"

Jane had had her head buried in the menu, and was a little startled when Maura arrived. "Nah, not at all," she smiled. "This place is awesome," she said with quite an impressed look on her face.

"I certainly hope so. They have traditional Chinese chefs, and the team is led by an American chef by the name of Alex Punt who is quite a trendsetter in the food world," she said as she took her seat.

Jane wasn't at all surprised that Maura knew all this, and simply sat in awe.

"Are you very hungry?" Maura asked politely.

"Starving, actually," she said unapologetically.

"Good, then this meal should be a pleasant one," she smiled.

"Oh sorry," she said shaking her head in realisation. "I haven't even asked, how are you?"

"I am well, thank you. How are you today, Jane?"

She was always so proper, and it gave Jane this unbelievable sense of respect for her, considering herself and her family spoke so… 'unproperly'.

"I'm good, thanks," she winced a little as she tried to sit more comfortably.

"Are you alright?" Maura asked in a concerned tone of voice.

"Oh yeah," she smiled honestly. "Yesterday at work was just a little rough," she understated.

Maura was visibly perplexed and felt she must enquire further. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, yeah," she insisted, not wanting to worry Maura. Honestly though, she didn't really think much of it anyway. "Took down a local drug dealer and he decided to fight back a little," she shrugged as if it were nothing.

Maura's eyes grew more concerned, and a little impressed.

"It's nothing, really," she said honestly. "Anyway, what do you want to eat?"

She sensed that Jane wasn't really interested in discussing it and allowed the topic to change. "Hm, I had a quick look at their menu before I arrived and I must say everything looks rather delicious," she said, delving into her menu. Looking up at Jane though, she said, "A friend of mine mentioned that the Eight Steamed Dumpling platter is a must."

Jane looked back to her menu to find the dish and read ' _prawn dumpling, pork dimsim vegetable dumpling_ ' before remarking "I get it! 'Cause this place is called the Eight. That actually looks really good."

Maura looked at her with a straight face and said, "You were hoping there were eight of them, weren't you?" She raised an eye brow.

"What?" She feigned outrage. "No! Never!" Her outrage began to fade into an unwaveringly straight face as she spoke each word. "Maybe. Sort of. Yes. I was." She said, only managing to maintain it for a second before bursting into laughter. "But hey," she tried to say honestly, "three's not bad. I can work with that," she smirked cheekily.

She smiled this great smile and shook her head before looking back to the menu.

Jane did so too momentarily before curiously looking up and asking, "How'd you know?" Genuinely wanting to know the answer.

Maura smiled, but not quite as widely this time and said, "You simply seem like the type of person who would _appreciate_ food."

She took a moment to contemplate her answer before she said, "Can't argue with that," and smiled.

A few moments passed as they each inspected their menus looking for the perfect dish/es to order.

"Do you know what you would like?" Maura asked politely as she looked up from behind her menu.

"Mm…" she thought, "Yes. You?"

"Yes, I do. I have decided I will try the stir-fried ee fu noodles with mixed mushrooms in abalone sauce."

"Aba what?" Jane asked, fiercely trying to suppress her urge to make an ABBA joke.

"Abalone," she repeated. "It is the name for any sort of sea snail belonging to the Haliotidae family," she explained frankly.

"Oh," she said buying time as she decided how to respond. "That's, um, cool." She hated that she used 'um' because she thought it made her sound insincere (or worse, dumb) but, all the same, tried to move forward with the conversation. "I take it you eat this sort of thing a lot?" If she were honest, she was a little intimidated by the idea that she often ate fancy foods at fancy restaurants. She remembered that in high school, and even now, she always wore the most elegant outfits that you could tell would have cost a fortune. It wasn't just her clothes though. She was always so well composed, even at sports days she somehow managed to have every aspect of her presentation in order.

"No," she said quite truthfully. "Whilst I have certainly eaten abalone previously, I only know that because I have always had an interest in biology, not just that which is relevant to humans." As she spoke, her facial expressions were less deliberate and more natural as she clearly became quite happy thinking of the topic at hand.

As Jane watched her speak, despite the slightly unusual subject of conversation, she slowly but steadily developed a smile. Had it been anyone else, she probably would have still been intimidated by how smart they were (instead of how much money they had), but with Maura it was different. She never made Jane feel dumb. In fact, she was one of not many people who truly had faith in just how smart she really was. _Wow_ , she thought to herself. If she wasn't impressed by Maura's intelligence and intellect before, she certainly would have been now. "So, how'd you end up teaching history?" She enquired genuinely.

Before Maura could answer, the waiter arrived. "Do you know what you would like?" She asked with quite a strong Chinese accent.

Jane nodded, allowing Maura to order first.

"Alright then. May we please have 2 serves of the Eight steamed dumpling platter, one serving of the stir-fried ee-fu noodles with mixed mushrooms in abalone sauce, and a glass of the Alois Lageder Riff Pinot Grigio," she finished looking up to the waiter who was studiously noting it all down at their notepad.

"Yes, Miss," she said ever so politely. Turning to do Jane, she asked, "And for you?"

"Um, could I please have the sweet and sour pork with pineapple, some fried rice and just a bottle of Blue Moon please?" Jane smiled as she finished speaking, quite pleased with her order.

"Yes, Miss. Is that all?" she asked courteously.

Jane looked back to Maura, who she could have sworn was staring at her as she ordered her food, to see if they wanted anything else. After gauging an unspoken look in her eyes, she turned back to the waiter and casually said, "Nah, that's all, thanks."

As the waiter walked away, Maura complimented genuinely, "good choice!"

Jane smiled. "I'm a sucker for sweet and sour dishes, and the pineapple is just a bonus," she added lightly.

"I could not agree more. Although, I've always thought that pineapple was an unusual layer to add to foods considering it can be so sweet or sour depending on a number of factors. Chefs simply have a talent that not everyone is blessed with, I suppose," she said truthfully.

"Yep, and I'm thankful for it," she said lightly. "Lord knows my best dish is one that goes in the microwave," Jane added with a different kind of honesty.

Maura sounded a small laugh, as required by social etiquette before remarking, "I must say, it's a little surprising that your mother never taught you to cook. It's an important skill to have."

"Yeah," she practically groaned. "Ma tried to teach me, it was just not my forte. I was busy playing sports and stuff, cooking just wasn't a priority," she responded casually.

"I suppose that is fair. As a teenager, even I had different interests to my mother; still do actually. All the same though, the preparation and consumption of food is not only important, it is something you should be able to enjoy," she paused before a smile grew. "Flavours to be created and tasted, nutrition for good health…" Once again, she stopped, this time thinking for at least a third item to add. "Oh; Company to be enjoyed, of course," she smiled.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I would actually like to learn a little more… Basic survival meals, at least," she said truthfully and yet in the most joking way she could.

She nodded in full support. "Perhaps I could teach you a dish or two," she offered in a friendly manner.

Although she was pretty sure Maura meant nothing by it, a slight feeling of queasiness rose in her stomach at the proposal.

Maura, continuing on her own little tangent went on to say, "It would be fun to teach someone to cook. I already have a dish or two in mind that I think you'd rather like." She paused. "History also supports the idea of women cooking being quite sexy too," she pointed out.

Jane's eyes widened in surprise as she was drawn back to reality with a single word.

"Although I don't necessarily agree with the patriarchal approach to the way various cultures of humans have lived, it is our history. I think it relates back to quite a primal notion of good food makes for a good nurturer, and a good nurturer makes for success of our race." The entire time she spoke, she barely flinched in reaction to anything around her. It was as if she were so engrossed in her train of thought that nothing could come close to disturbing her.

Still in shock of the word 'sexy', Jane managed to practically choke out, "yeah, I know what you mean."

Thankfully, their entrees arrived within moments of Jane's awkward response. She smiled with relief and gave the waiter a nod to show her gratitude.

"Thank you," Maura said kindly as her plate was laid down in front of her.

Looking down at their plates, they were delighted to see that the serve of three dumplings more than lived up to its expectations.

"Wow," she muttered. "It actually looks like the picture," she exclaimed, quite impressed.

Maura agreed. "The colours are so vibrant. I always think it's so interesting to see foods traditional to one culture adjusted to better suit another," she said genuinely interested in the concept.

Jane had to have another look at her plate, as she was now certain that she'd missed something that was very clear to the person she was dining with. Not too surprisingly, the foods on her plate had not changed. They were still three decently sized dumplings, each wrapped with different shades of reddish pink dough. "Pink food is American?" She asked, a little cynically. "Do we have a flamingo fetish or something?" She joked.

Maura laughed a small giggle. "Not pink food," she corrected, "simply the idea that food needs to be a little more pleasing to the eye for it to be found appealing; particularly when a food is not native to the region. The pink wheat dough," she stated, "is simply a means by which to get the audience's attention. From there, you can then explore the different flavours associated with each shade of pink."

Not many people could persuade Jane to reshape her views of food but, in just a few sentences, Maura had succeeded. "Huh…" she said in realisation. "I never really thought about it like that, but that's really cool," she said genuinely. "At the academy we did a whole lot on desensitisation and how it can affect people's behaviour and how it can usually be linked to something in the media. Not the media like the news, but just sort of everything we see and hear. Although ours wasn't as focused on how appealing food is." She added that last sentence as if to make sure that Maura was aware that although she'd just said something smart, she wasn't (or so she believed).

Supportively and very truthfully though, Maura was quick to the mark; "Exactly!" she assured. "It's the very same concept and can be applied in many circumstances, whether it is immediately noticeable or not," she smiled.

Jane found a smile growing on her face with a mind of its own. Here she was, sitting before an intelligent, beautiful, and ridiculously kind woman, and yet no words were coming to mind, just a smile.

Maura took her first bite into one of her dumplings, and Jane was soon to follow. As she placed the remaining portion of the dumpling onto her plate, Maura began observing Jane with quite a number of thoughts running through her head. After swallowing her food, she simply placed her hands on the table and tried to speak confidently. "Jane, may I ask you something?"

Jane's eyes shot up from her plate. She had only just bitten into the last part of one of her dumplings and was now stuck with food in her as if she had forgotten how to chew. As normally as she could, she chewed and swallowed her food before saying, "sure," as she raised a napkin to her face in case she still had food in her mouth.

Without drawing too much attention to the fact, Maura took a deep breath before working up the nerve. "Please don't take this the wrong way," she said with care in her eyes. "I sometimes experience trouble deciphering what others intentions are in social situations," she spoke carefully.

 _Shit_. She gulped a little.

"My apologies, I am rambl _ing. I will just ask…"_

 _She's nervous too. Why is she nervous? Why am_ I _nervous?_

"Is this a date?" She finally managed to say.

Jane practically choked on her own saliva. "Ah…" She paused; she couldn't really think of what to say. Was it?

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. Please forget I said anything." Maura shook her head, almost trying to shake off the awkward feeling.

"No, _no._ Don't feel bad _._ "Jane didn't mean to give Maura any reason to think she'd need to apologise.

Maura still looked overwhelmingly uncomfortable.

"Can _I_ be honest?"

"Of course. Your honesty is something only you can control. You don't need permission."

She nodded slowly. "Well, honestly, I don't really know." That surprised herself a little.

"You don't know?" Maura was a little confused.

Jane saw no option but to relent. "Nope… Not really. I mean, I like you, I think. I always kind of have. And I know this may be kind of weird for you, and maybe it should be weird for me, but I don't know… You're just kind of amazing," she paused. "And not a guy…" That last part made her feel a little uneasy and even less sure about this whole thing than she was before.

Jane now looked pretty mortified. "Jane," Maura said with a kind smile. "I didn't bring it up because I was outraged by the idea. In fact, it's an idea that I don't mind the sound of," she admitted.

Her eyes lit up a little. "Really?" She had to make sure.

"Really," she said smiling a little larger this time. "I certainly won't pretend to know whether this will work out or not but even when you were my student I've thought you were immensely bright, and strong and caring," she paused. "I'd be lucky to be able to even spend a little time with someone like that." She smiled so gently at the end, almost as if she was hoping Jane felt the same.

The corners of Jane's lips turned up, almost unwittingly, and there was a strange sense of peace that she hadn't really felt since that day at the shopping centre.

* * *

 **Thank you kindly for reading.**  
 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. All feedback is welcome and appreciated.**

 **Have a safe and happy holiday season. Much care,**

 **CC**


	23. Chapter 23

Over the next few weeks, Jane and Maura caught a couple of times.  
The first was to the Museum of History; Maura's choice, obviously. Maura found herself revelling of the rises and falls of all the various cultures and eras. Most significantly her interest was drawn to an exhibition devoted entirely to decorative furniture throughout history. Always appreciative of the sentimental values of many of the pieces, she was also quite aware of the monetary value, which was rather high as a result of the collection being one of the finest of its kind in existence. Jane, on the other hand, was mostly bored. She adored seeing Maura fall in love with each section, and watching her face light up as something struck her interest, she simply couldn't understand why anyone would care this much. However, when they reached the Militaries Throughout History exhibit, specifically the ammunition section, she was more than intrigued.  
Even out of all the exhibitions they had seen that day, it became Maura's favourite too as she loved seeing Jane enjoy something that she did.

Their second meeting in this time was to a pizzeria local to Jane. She knew that it would still seem pretty casual to Maura, but had hoped that the particular pizza joint she had chosen was upscale enough to offset the informal nature that was 'the pizza'. In her opinion, the night was a success as Maura was surprisingly open to simply having a relaxed evening of food and idle conversation. She sometimes forgot that Maura had a simpler (less expensive) side, but she was always thankful for it. It makes her even more complex than what most people see, but she loves that. Jane's favourite part of this one though was the ending. Having dropped Maura home (she had decided to pick her up so she didn't have to go out of her way, after all, Jane knew the area well), they kissed each other's cheeks as a goodbye gesture. To most, this wouldn't seem like much at all. And to them, were they with anyone else, they probably wouldn't have thought much of it either. This one was different though; much like their somewhat untraditional relationship. When they did kiss, they both enjoyed it a little more than was expected. It could even be said that when the kiss finished they seemed to remain still, for no other reason than to linger in the closeness.

Over the latter days of this period though, Maura had a growing feeling of uneasiness and anxiety growing within her that she couldn't seem to hush.

Since having coffee with Jane that first time, she knew that exploring their relationship (as friends or otherwise) was something that she really would love the opportunity to do.

When Jane was in high school, Maura would never have said that she had an interest in Jane being anything more than a friend within the bounds of the school. She certainly thought that she was interesting, intelligent, and had immaculate bone structure, but it simply wasn't something that her ethics would allow, so it was never a need for concern in that regard.  
Having this opportunity now though, it was as if any feelings that she may have suppressed in the past, have now been brought to the surface. Unfortunately, the associated nervousness; addressing aspects such as co-workers, the fact that she was a student and the fact that she is still younger, was still going strong.

She tried to remain rational through it all. She attempted to meditate, though found it very difficult to clear her mind which has only ever happened on a few occasions in her life. She also went for a run and, whilst she didn't deny the endorphin release, she still found that the same thoughts still plagued her when she stopped. Unfortunately, she didn't see running for eternity as a viable option.

•••

"Sorry this was such short notice," she said quietly, trying to remain level-headed.

"Yeah, no worries," she smiled casually. "It's good to see you anyway." Her smile was a little more genuine this time.

Maura smiled shyly, almost embarrassed at this point.

Jane could put her finger on it, but something didn't seem quite right with Maura. She decided that the gentle approach was the best option, so she asked cautiously, "Is everything okay?" Starting to piece together the puzzle (as any detective would), she became concerned that Maura had gotten her here with only a few hours' notice.

For a moment, she actually debated about coming up with some extensive lie to tell Jane. Eventually though she decided against it, after all, it wasn't really in her nature in these sorts of circumstances. She let out a little sigh. She still didn't speak though. She didn't really know where to start. Maura looked Jane in the eyes and saw this unwaveringly kind woman before her. She owed her honesty, she felt. "I apologise," she began, "for getting you here on such short notice." She paused, straightening her shirt and skirt, biding time. "May I please be honest?"

Jane gave a rather confused look, before letting a reassuring smile show. "Maur', of course you can." She was surprised it was even a question.

Maura pursed her lips before rephrasing the question. "Taking into consideration that my honesty and my social skills don't always result in good things, are you certain?" She needed to be sure.

She was now a little concerned. Scratch that; she was quite concerned. "What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

Maura saw that her thoughts, even though unspoken, were making Jane uncomfortable. She had to speak them now or they'd never be resolved, leaving her an anxious mess and Jane an unjustified one. She sighed once again. "I know we touched on this the other day," she tried to say formally. "I just feel that perhaps it is a topic that needs revisiting, for my sake at the very least."

Jane simply watched intently, waiting for Maura to drop whatever bomb on their days.

"I was your teacher," she paused.

Jane suddenly knew exactly what was going on, but felt like Maura maybe needed to get some things out in the open, so she waited.

"That would have been a fairly different relationship, in terms of the dynamics of it," she stated.

She nodded in understanding.

"And whilst I really do think you're quite brilliant for a number of reasons, I am concerned that this perhaps isn't a good idea."

Jane's fingers betrayed her as they lifted but an inch from the table, drawing Maura's attention. She dropped her shoulders relenting though knowing that she could not undo her interrupting fingers. "Maura," she began, "I'm _concerned_ too."

She looked a little surprised at this point.

"Look, I'd really like the chance to see what happens here, and I think you would too. Don't get me wrong, I know that it may not work out. I know that it could mean bad things for both of us, and that's true even if it does work out. But I like you," she said truthfully. "And look, nothing says we have to rush into anything or even tell anyone right now. I just want us to be friends and then," she shrugged. "Then we can go from there."

Maura was moved by all that Jane had said, but was still feeling a little uneasy. Apparently, it was noticeable too.

Jane added, "I know we said this stuff the other day… But what if we actually let them happen? And, if it's clear we can't do it or whatever, I guess we'll just have to take that. But wouldn't you like to at least try?" Jane hoped to God the answer was yes.

She inspected the woman before her for signs of deceptions or doubt, only to find there were none. She too knew the circumstances weren't exactly perfect but, to Jane, she already meant enough to try anyway. The least she could do was the same. So she smiled, genuinely but small, and said, "Thank you." She meant it too.

Jane smiled back, with an unspoken 'you're welcome.'

A moment past before Maura said, "May I ask you something?" Not quite realising the immediate connotation to the topic they were practically still discussing.

Jane didn't seem to mind though. "Yes."

Maura was beginning to feel so safe with Jane. "What is your favourite food?"

For a moment there, Jane actually thought she knew what was going on. Now though she raised an eyebrow and gave Maura a puzzled look. Her words were spoken slowly and with uncertainty. "I… like… potatoes?"

"Me too," she responded excitedly. It didn't even seem to faze her that Jane was entirely confused at this point. "They're so versatile," she continued. "Aren't they?"

Jane tried not to look so completely oblivious but was pretty sure that wasn't working. All the same though, she responded appropriately, "Yeah.. I mean, they can be mashed, or baked or fried… And you can eat them with almost anything." She was pretty sure she still looked confused despite the truth in her words. She paused for a few moments before asking, "Why?" After all, it was a rather strange question.

Maura, whom just a moment ago seemed unfazed by the change of topic, responded honestly by saying, "I thought that perhaps if I learned more about you, I may feel less uneasy." Trying to make it seem less odd, she added almost insistently, "You can ask me questions too, if you'd like."

Jane displayed this little half smile at how cute the woman before her could be. It wasn't long to change into a grin as she became interested in the concept. "Okay…" she narrowed her eyes a little deviously. "So, it's my turn now?"

Maura politely nodded, "I think that's only fair." If she was honest, she was relieved that Jane wasn't entirely weirded out by the idea.

Jane took a moment to think, and it was obvious the cogs were spinning in her head. "Do you have any pets _and_ ," she emphasised, "tell me about it/them."

"I do have a pet. His name is Bass, and he is an African Spur-Thigh tortoise," she added informatively.

"I see… That's cool. So does he have like a tank and a little pond?" She asked curiously.

"Tortoise, not turtle," she corrected. "So he is a land animal, and he just sort of wanders," she tried her best to answer. "He's also a little too big for a tank," she said as if this were a normal thing.

Immediately Jane's face became humorously cynical. "How big is this thing?!"

"Oh, approximately 60 pounds," she said unabashedly.

"Holy cow!" She exclaimed. "I was picturing something that was, like, the size of my hand or something. That's," she paused, "Impressive," she said a quite flabbergasted.

Maura simply smiled. "Well, yes… He's a little bigger than that," she quipped.  
"What about yourself? Do you currently or have you had any pets?"

"Nah," she said casually. "Didn't have any growing up; other than my brothers," she joked.

Maura smiled, amused at Jane's quick humour. A small part of her will always be reminded of that young girl whom it seemed like no-one had ever really cared about. Not wanting to dwell (and seeing no need to) she then asked, "Do you have a favourite pastime?"

"Hey," she nagged. "It's my turn," she raised an eyebrow as she caught Maura out.

"It is not," she said with certainty.

"Yeah-huh! You asked me about food, I asked you about your turtle and then you ask me about my pets," she said positively.

"True, but only by omission," she said cleverly in a friendly manner. "I asked about food, you asked about pets, then proceeded to ask about his living situation and his size, before I asked about your pets," she said a little smugly. "By my count, I still have two more questions."

Never let it be said that Maura was one to be messed with.

Displeased by the unfortunate truth, Jane sighed and relented a "Fine…" before slouching back playfully.

Maura was quite satisfied with herself. "So, do you have a favourite pastime?"

"Mm…" she said unenthusiastically. As she continued to speak though, she perked up a little. "I like running. That's probably about it."

"Running is a wonderful thing," Maura was quick to say. "I rather enjoy it myself," she smiled, honestly. "Your turn."

Jane momentarily began to think of a question before remembering. "Wait… You still have one more question," she said fairly.

Maura smiled. "Yes, but I'll let you have it," she said, happy to allow Jane the next one.

The evening went on like this for a while before they were politely asked to leave by the staff, shortly before 10:30pm.

As Jane dropped Maura back to her place, which she was never any less impressed with the architecture of, she stepped out of the car and gave her a gentle hug and once again kissed her on the cheek.  
Neither of them lingered as much this time, not from disinterest though. There was simply this mutual feeling that perhaps it would happen again, and it would happen soon.

* * *

 **Hello lovely readers,**

 **My apologies that the chapter took so long.**  
 **I do hope you enjoyed it though and would love to hear any thoughts you might have.**

 **Hope you're happy and well.**  
 **Happy New Year.**

 **CC**


	24. Chapter 24

[one week later]

As Jane opened the message, she was pleased to see whom it was from.

 _Hello Jane,  
How are you today?  
I have an odd question for you and was wondering if you were busy. _

Thankfully, she wasn't too busy and she was quick to respond.

 _Hey  
Im good thanks. You?  
Nah, I'm not busy. Shoot. _

It didn't take long for Maura to reply either, which they were both happy about.

 _Glad to hear it.  
I've really never understood that use of the word._

When she read up to this point, she knew Maura was stalling, but she didn't know why. She skipped to the end of what seemed like an essay.

 _Is that something that would interest you?_

Too far. She read back a little further.

 _I understand to shoot, as in gun, but does it not seem odd to 'shoot' a question as you would a bullet or ball-bearing? Regardless, I was wondering if you could perhaps get a day or two off of work? There is a lovely spa not too far from Boston with a gorgeous resort attached. I thought it might be a nice opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better. And a mud bath couldn't hurt, right?_

Maura was a little hesitant to send this message. This entire idea of this trip and the fact that she was being so forward about it all was a little unfamiliar to her and, therefore, a little disconcerting too.

Usually this wouldn't be something that interested Jane and, honestly, it sounded boring to sit around at some spa. And mud baths? What is that? All the same though, she was interested in spending time with Maura.

 _Yeah sure. I mean, I usually have a day or two off work anyway. I could try and arrange them so they were weekends 'cause that's when you'd be off right?_

Maura let out a squeal of joy as she read this.

 _Good._ _Yes, that is correct. Only if that is not too much trouble. We can just go for the day as that may be easier schedule-wise?_

 _Yeah if that works?_

 _We will make it work._

That evening Jane decided to look at some of the local-ish spa resorts online. When she saw the prices she couldn't help but utter aloud, "You've gotta be shitting me."

Not really sure what she was going to do about this, she messaged Maura to do some recon.

 _Hey Maur  
How was your day?_

 _Good evening Jane,  
It was rather productive, thank you. How was yours?_

 _It was good thank you._

Five minutes passed before Maura texted back a return message. She figured that Jane probably wouldn't have texted were it only for a conversation that lasted a mere three messages.

 _Is there something on your mind?_

Jane didn't want to sound cheap (or low on money) and wasn't entirely sure how to word it politely. It wasn't even as if she was strapped for cash. She'd always considered herself pretty comfortable, financially. Sure, there were some times where she's had to pick an extra shift, or pick a simpler or cheaper meal to temporarily be a stable part of her diet, she's not denying that. It was simply never a cause for stress or concern; except for that one time her car got hit by another and she had to pay to have it repaired because the insurance company 'couldn't' prove whose fault it really was. This though… This was it being considered normal to spend $200 an hour + accommodation. It wasn't even something she expected to like, so why would she?

 _Nah, not really.  
Hey, do you go to spas often?_

The first part they both knew was an outright lie. Jane was hoping Maura wouldn't notice, and Maura figured she'd just let it slide for now.

 _Not that often, actually. I suppose I would like to, but school and other commitments tend to delay the luxury._

 _Yeah – life can get in the way sometimes.  
I'll be honest I don't know how people can afford to do it regularly. _

Jane hoped that by adding "regularly" it would seem less confrontational in terms of the financial aspect of it.

To her surprise, Maura seemed to agree.

 _Me either! It is very much an indulgence and one that should only be enjoyed when one's bank account permits. I am rather lucky in that my mother very generously gifted me a voucher to this particular resort. It's a preposterous amount of money, so I thought the best use of it would be to bring someone whose company I would enjoy._

Jane was a little shocked.

 _Wait you're paying for me?_

 _Well, of course._ _You don't think I'd ask you to some extravagantly priced place and expect you to pay for yourself._

 _You don't have to pay for me. Really!_

 _Jane, don't be silly. I have this gift voucher, it must be redeemed in one transaction and not even I could spend this much. Besides, I am aware that this probably isn't your ideal getaway destination, so it's really the least I can do for the person who'll be keeping me company._

There were so many parts of this message that Jane was commenting on in her head. _Maura: Always rational. Always more aware than you'd think. Always ridiculously kind._

 _Maur'… I don't know what to say.  
At least let me pitch in or something. _

_That's quite alright, Jane. Honestly. I'm looking forward to having you there. That is more than enough._

Jane didn't really know what to say. She was quite taken back by the gesture. She knew that Maura was a generous person but, if the prices she had seen online were any sort of indicator, even for Maura this was outrageous.

 _I… don't know what to say. I feel bad. Please let me pitch in._

 _Don't be silly, really. Just come along, try to have fun and be yourself. That's all I want._

* * *

 **Hey guys,**

 **So this is just a short in-between sort of chapter. Bit of a non-event, but I wanted it to be part of the story.**

 **Really hope you've enjoyed this chapter and you're liking how the story is progressing.  
I would love to hear any feedback you might have (good and bad). **

**Also, massive apologies to anyone who has reviewed the past two chapters. I am sorry for not getting back to each of you personally, and I promise to do better with this chapter.**

 **Thank you again,**

 **CC**


	25. Chapter 25

Trigger warning.

* * *

The two ended up making their plans to go the resort to take place on a Saturday a few weeks away.  
The way it had been arranged, Maura would pick Jane up from work in the morning (as she had the night shift) and they would continue on driving from there. Jane figured she could grab a quick coffee along the way and that should be enough to sustain her. These weren't ideal circumstances but, between both of their work schedules, it was the best that they could come to.

•••

On the way to the precinct, Maura stopped by Boston Joe's to get Jane a coffee. She had them pour an extra shot into an espresso cup in case she needed an extra kick. She also picked up one of their pear and raspberry breads that Jane was always raving about. Had anyone asked, Maura would have pegged her as more of a banana bread girl, but even Jane could be surprising. She also got herself a freshly squeezed juice. She'd already eaten breakfast, but a fresh juice never went amiss in Maura's day.

As she waited in her car parked out the front of the BPD building, she took a deep breath of fresh hair as the sun shone on her face. She couldn't have asked for a better day. It was a couple of minutes before Jane finished, so she figured she had some time to spare. She wriggled into a comfortable position, closed her eyes and took deep, regular breaths.

In the locker room after her shift, Jane was desperately cramming her belongings into an already full bag. Once she finally managed to get everything in and close the zip, she rummaged for the deodorant in her locker. She figured it'd make for a better start to the day if she didn't smell like stale sweat. She then gave herself a quick once over in the mirror, grabbed her bag, thrashed the locker closed and headed up to the lobby. She had changed into a t-shirt and running shorts because that was the most comfortable thing she could think of wearing for a road trip. Maura said this place was about an hour and a half away, and there was no way she was going to do an hour and half sitting with minimal space to manoeuvre in her police uniform.

Walking up toward the car, she noticed that Maura was paying attention and raised a fisted hand to the glass of the window.

' _ **tap tap tap'**_

Maura practically jumped out of her meditative state as Jane tapped harshly on the window pane.

Even though she knew it was unlocked, she thought it would be more entertaining to scare the leaving daylight out of Maura.

Maura gave Jane a displeased look before gesturing to get into the car.

As she opened the car door, Maura was quick with a feigned threat; "I guess I could just drink your coffee…" She warned playfully.

"No!" she begged. "I'll be good," she pled jokingly.

Maura's insincere annoyance quickly turned to a smile as it returned to her excitement about the trip.

"I don't think you realise how much I love you right now. God I need this coffee," she practically whined. Her tone rapidly changing to genuine gratitude, she added kindly, "Thank you, Maur'."

Maura smiled, "You're welcome." She glanced into the back seat for a moment and reached her arm out to get something off the chair. Turning back around she said, "Here you go," holding out a brown paper bag. "I thought you could use some sustenance."

Jane smiled excitedly at the mysterious bag of food; at least, she hoped it was food. As soon as she opened it she actually squealed before exclaiming, "Apple raspberry bread!?" She looked at Maura, and her eyes were glistening with happiness. "You shouldn't have! I mean, thank you, but … aw, you shouldn't have."

Maura simply smiled before starting the car. "Enjoy it. The trip can be a little tedious, and I figured that, after an all-nighter, anything would be beneficial."

With that, they were off.

About half an hour into the drive, conversation began to peter as Jane's remaining energy from her shift started to diminish.

"So, how was school this week?" She asked, quite lazily.

"It was good, thank you. The students were mostly tamed, which was rather a relief, and I had this to look forward to all week." An honest smile grew on her face as she added that final part.

Jane too smiled. She was excited… if a little tired.

Maura could see this out of the corner of her eye and said, "Feeling a little worn-out from your shift?"

"Nah," she blatantly lied. "I'm excited too!" She meant the words, but her eyes deceived her.

Maura smiled small. "Why don't you have a sleep? I'll wake you when we get there."

"Nah, it's fine," she said, with eyes already closed. "I want to talk to you."

Maura just smiled without saying anything. She hoped the quiet may help Jane stop fighting and get some much needed rest.

•••

"Jane," she said softly as she gave the palm of her hand a light squeeze. "We're here."

Jane very slowly came to, and figured out what had happened. "I fell asleep, didn't I?" She said hazily.

Maura giggled a little. "Yes, but don't worry; we have a quiet morning," she smiled.

As they got out of the car Jane was amazed by the immensity of the block of land. Smack bang in the centre of it was this great big brown brick building with neatly kept garden surrounds and balconies on, what seemed like must have been, every room. "Wow," was the only thing she got out.

Maura just smiled. "It is a lovely property, isn't it?" She looked over to Jane who was still a little taken back. "Come on," she nudged as they headed for the entrance.

As they entered the lobby, the place seemed brightly lit with slightly minimalistic décor.

"I love coming here," Maura said quite honestly and contentedly. "It's so peaceful, and rejuvenating." A quiet smile crept across her face.

Jane didn't know what to be more in awe of, the establishment or the woman who brought her here. She simply smiled in acknowledgement before asking, "So, what _is_ the plan for the morning anyway?"

"Well," she said happily. "We'll check-in, go to our room and get settled, then we can have a lunch and then we can just go from there." Maura had actually planned out most of their afternoon to the minute, but figured it wasn't exactly rocket science and there was need to overwhelm Jane immediately after she arrived.

"Okay, cool," she said agreeably. Suddenly though, she realised what Maura actually said… _room._ As in, one. As in, one bed, one bathroom and one everything else. It's not that she was against the idea of getting _intimate_ with Maura, it was just sudden. They hadn't really done more than kiss the other's cheek (even if they were dangerously close to the lips), or sort of brush against each other with arms and/or hands.

Maura watched Jane's face become somewhat paler than before and grew quite concerned. "Are you alright, Jane?" She said caringly.

Jane shook off the feeling as best she could and said, "Yeah, sorry. Just tired." She forced a smile as she looked Maura in the eye.

Maura didn't quite believe her, but she figured it wasn't really a conversation to have in the middle of the lobby, so she left it alone for the time being. She smiled unconvincingly, and said, "Just let me check us in, and then we'll head up."

Jane was thankful that Maura looked away to the neatly groomed woman behind the counter because the idea of going up to their room wasn't as comforting as Maura might have thought.

•••

"Here we are," Maura said pleasantly. "208."

By the time they had made it to the door, Jane had managed to keep a straight and, hopefully, unsuspicious face.

As they walked into the room, they were greeted by a large neutral colours-themed lounge room. Cream carpet, off-white leather lounge, and light beige curtains affront tall French windows.

"Wow," Jane uttered involuntarily.

Maura simply smiled, pleased that Jane liked the room.  
"So this is the living room, the kitchen is to the right, and our rooms are on opposite sides of the apartment," she stated. "Will a queen-size bed be sufficient?"

Jane choked back a laugh when she heard the question. "Yes, I think it'll be fine." Jane was also far more at ease now that she knew that had separate bedrooms. She certainly wasn't against getting close with Maura, as mentioned before, but she just wanted to be comfortable with it when it happened. She dumped her duffle on the ground by the wall and allowed herself to relax into the idea of this trip.

She hadn't noticed, but Maura had intently watched her as she had done so, waiting for the appropriate opportunity to ask Jane a question and soothe both her concern and curiosity. "Are you alright, Jane?" She asked, pacing her words as to not 'spook' her.

Jane practically flinched out of her almost-dazed state. "Wha- Yeah!" She insisted. Although she was more alright now than before, she was still finding it difficult to cover up the fact that a few moments ago she had been royally freaking out.

Maura pressed on. "Really?" she asked as kindly as she could though, obviously, not believing a word of it. "Because a moment ago I could have sworn you had just seen a ghost…"

Jane simply denied it though whilst thanking Maura for her concern, and went on to deflect to a lighter and far more pleasant topic; food. "What's for lunch?"

Something was clearly going on with Jane, but decided to leave it alone once again. If Jane wanted to share anything, she convinced herself that she would. "There is an extensive menu available downstairs in the dining area. For now, though, go to bed. It's been a long night for you," Maura put forward friendlily.

"No…" Jane practically whined. "We came here to do things, not so I could sleep," she insisted. "Come on, what's up first?"

"Jane," she said in a very calm and logical voice. "Our plans for the day have been made to allow some sleeping time in the morning," she smiled caringly. "I'm a teacher," she stated. "And while that may not involve too many all-nighters, there are certainly many late nights. So relax, go rest," she smiled. "I brought some work to do anyway," Maura reasoned.

Jane, utterly taken back by the consideration Maura had put into this, decided that rather than getting all mushy about it, she would take her usual, slightly more sarcastic approach. "Oh no! I'm not sleeping just so you can do work. That's not why we're here either," she maintained. "We'll watch T.V or something and talk. Come on," she said dragging Maura by the arm to the lounge.

Maura giggled. "Fine," she feigned dismay. "I doubt this was a fight I was going to win anyway," she pursed her lips knowingly.

"Nope," Jane replied childishly.

"After all, your ability to process information rationally is significantly lower when sleep deprived," she added factually.

Jane was impressed that Maura knew all that and was able to convey it so eloquently and efficiently, yet she still couldn't stop herself from saying playfully, "does your brain ever shut down?"

"The brain is alwa-" Realising the error of her ways, she smiled and simply shook her head.

Sitting down on the lounge, Jane picked up the small wicker basket of remote controls that sat on the coffee tables. "Five remotes?!" She exclaimed. "What could anyone need this many remotes for?"

"May I?" Maura said politely holding out her arms.

"Be my guest."

Without having to do some lengthy trial and error tests, Maura immediately picked up two remote controls and pressed the power button on each, pointing them towards the television.

Jane was gobsmacked. "H… How did you?" She was at a loss for words.

Maura simply smiled and said, "This one is to turn the screen of the television on, and this one controls the channels from the box just below."

•••

Maura held out a pristinely-folded white bath robe. "Once you're changed, you can place your clothes in either of these lockers and we'll head off to our first activity," she said excitedly.

"Can do," Jane said agreeably. Nearly before she had finished speaking the words, Maura had begun getting undressed right where they stood. She did it tastefully, as not to cause anyone an unwanted eyeful, but still. "Oh," she said softly.

"Is everything alright?" Maura asked, noticing Jane's immediate discomfort.

"Oh, yeah, I just…" Jane looked around in search of a cubicle.

Maura simply smiled kindly. "Just down past this row of lockers, and to the right. Please don't feel as if you have to change here." She meant it, too.

"Thank you," she practically sang before disappearing around the corner.

Maura was someone who had many experiences of spas just like this one. She remembers when she went to her first one at 16 with her mother, she thought it so bizarre and embarrassing that people actually got changed in the middle for all to see. They wouldn't even try to hide it. She insisted on using the cubicle or getting changed in her room. It wasn't until she was in her early twenties that she even entertained the idea of it. Now though, it was just normal for her. She in no way wanted Jane to feel uncomfortable though.

•••

"Who knew that something called 'Sea Captains' would actually be not awful?" Jane laughed as they wandered through the garden after having a back massage and a facial.

Maura giggled a little before adding with a smirk, "I'm a little surprised there wasn't a sailor joke in there.'

Jane smiled knowing exactly what Maura was implying and simply said, "Yeah, I thought about it but it just seemed too easy."

"Mhm…" she said, still not entirely convinced that Jane had it out of her system. But, it was only just dusk and figured there was still plenty of time for it to rear its head.

"I mean, the whole getting poked by a stranger wasn't exactly an appealing idea but it wasn't bad," she said honestly. Her voice deepened to a posher and slightly more sensual tone when she said, "And I don't know what they did but my skin feels _fabulous_!" There was a notable amount of sardonicism as she commented on the facial they'd had.

Maura giggled once again, before easing into a comfortable smile. "Well, despite your mocking, I am glad you enjoyed it. Or, at least, didn't find it awful," she nudged.

"I'm just holding out because I'm sure there's something in our future that we'll do even though you hate it," Jane verbally jabbed.

Maura knew she was kidding though, and simply said (with a little smugness), "I mean it." She smiled honestly as she looked into Jane's eyes to try to gauge her response.

Her first instinct was to flee after the first sign of intimacy, but Jane managed to fight against it and stick her heels in. She still tried to play it off though; "Yeah, yeah…" Before adding remarkably honestly, "me too." She smiled before looking forward along the path again.

Without so much as mistaken step or fumble, Jane's pinky had begun to wrap itself around Maura's as they walked and talked. When it happened, Maura glanced down at their hands and looked up to Jane's face with a very contently peaceful smile.

Jane tried to play it cool though, simply giving a little knowing smile of acknowledgement before allowing the conversation to continue on as their fingers remained entwined.

•••

"Are you hungry?" Maura asked pleasantly.

"Mm… Yeah, I could eat. You?"

"I was thinking we could get room service instead of going down to the dining room," she suggested. "I figure, we're both already in our pyjamas…" She added, gesturing to her satin button-up pyjama set that she was currently sporting and to Jane's cute little checked shorts and singlet ensemble.

"No!" Jane said a little guiltily. "We can get changed and go be social!"

Maura simply laughed. "Jane, it's quite alright. Besides, unless you particularly want to, I'm quite comfortable to just relax up here. Wouldn't want to ruin my manicure," she joked nervously, playing off any connotations that may have come to Jane's mind.

Jane thought for a moment, trying to decide how honest Maura was being about not going out for dinner, even if out was just downstairs. "Mm… Only if you're sure." She watched carefully, awaiting a response.

"I am sure," she said with a smile as she held out a leather bound room-service menu.

Jane grabbed the menu a little too excitedly, she found in hindsight, as she managed to chip the clear nail polish that Maura had strong-armed her into getting less than 2 hours ago. "See!" she joked lightly. "This is why I don't wear nail polish." Her face crinkled as she became openly a little annoyed that it happened. She wasn't entirely fond of getting her nails done in the first place, but now that it had chipped it just made it seem so much sillier.

Maura simply smiled a small and unjudging smile, and said, "I think I have some nail polish remover in my bag. We can get it off once we order some food." Sure, she was a little disappointed, but she knew that manicures were more her thing than Jane's and was still glad to have done it with her.

Her words were so remarkably sincere. It actually surprised Jane a little that she was so understanding even though she'd essentially just snubbed something that Maura enjoyed and did regularly (to an extent). She smiled as if to say thanks in a very honest way. Always quick to cover up her feelings though, she said, "So, what d'ya wanna eat?"

"Hm…" She said, once again perusing the menu idly. "I was thinking the grilled halibut with the peach and pepper salsa."

"You know," she remarked in a slightly astonished tone. "That actually sounds really good." Jane was a little surprised to herself say that, just as much as Maura was.

"Would you like one? I'd be happy to order two of those," she said courteously.

"Nah, thanks though," she smiled politely. "I was actually thinking of having a steak Diane," she smiled reminiscently. "I haven't had that in ages. And then I thought I'd get some of their rosemary fries, but only if you wanted some?"

"I usually eat healthy when on a spa retreat, but their fries are delicious," she said indulgently. "I've only ever had them once before, but I will more than happily share a serve with you tonight," she smiled.

"Cool, I guess that's done then. Do you want me to order and you can pick something to watch?"

"Sure," she said politely.

Jane headed for the phone and waited patiently after dialling reception's number. As she waited, listening to a piece of music she decided had only ironically been referred to as 'soothing', Maura disappeared out of sight. Jane wasn't sure where or why she'd gone to her room, but she hoped everything was okay as she tried to decipher her friend's curious actions.

After placing their order and hanging up the phone, Maura appeared within seconds with cotton pads and nail-polish remover. Jane just smiled gratefully at the sight. _How did I get so lucky?_

Later that night, after dinner the two sat comfortably on the lounge watching what was already the second episode of CSI for the night. Jane had her legs tucked up on the lounge beside her with her head resting on her hand. Maura had made herself comfortable on her back with her knees up and her head resting happily on Jane's legs. At some point in the evening, in attempts to sit more comfortably, one of Maura's hands had found its way to Jane's upper leg, occasionally rubbing lightly to make sure her companion was still awake.

When Jane initially noticed the presence of Maura's hand she felt a tightness in her stomach. Shock, she supposes. What seemed to surprise her more though was that she was very quickly very okay with it. She actually even liked it a little. To reciprocate some sort of approval, and even a little encouragement, she at one stage leant down to kiss Maura's forehead, following it swiftly with a kind smile. Maura seemed to like that.

As the night progressed, as did Maura's hand. Not necessarily in a sexual way, more so proximity-wise. It had slowly drifted further up Jane's leg and under the edge of her pyjama shorts which had already risen a little when they sat down.

As they sat watching mindless television and having light, intermittent conversation, Maura's thumb comfortably grazed over the skin of Jane's upper thigh. She noticed little ripples in Jane's skin which stopped her thumb rubbing instantly. Jane hadn't really seemed to notice though. She seemed quite content to simply sit and watch T.V.

"Jane," she said softly as she sat up beside her.

"Hm," she hummed glancing down from the television, awaiting Maura's next thought.

Maura sat up was now staring at Jane's leg in somewhat dim light. "Are they... scars?" She asked with a caring tone. She moved her hand back to Jane's leg and rested it just next to what she had felt a moment ago.

Jane stiffened, and Maura knew it. Trying horribly to brush it off though, she forced herself to relax before saying almost convincingly, "Oh yeah, they're nothing." And she meant it… sort of.

Maura wasn't going to push Jane further than she wanted to go, but she felt had to ask. "What are they from?" Her voice was almost shaky. Suspecting she already knew what they might have been caused by, a part of her already felt crushed by the thought.

Jane took a breath and said reasonably, "Ah, it was just teenage stuff." She ended it with a smile, in the hopes of putting Maura at ease. The scars were old and, honestly, she hadn't really thought about them all that much except for some times when she saw them as she changed or something.

Maura was surprised, and a little relieved, that Jane seemed to have come to terms with whatever had happened, but she still hated that she had to go through it. She found her mouth moving before her brain could stop her. "That day, you had a large bandage… Is that what it was from?"

Jane tilted her head slightly, unsure of what exactly Maura was referring to.

"One day," she said in a measured way. "When we were working in my classroom, you had gone to the bin to sharpen a pencil and I saw what looked to be a large bandage that was on the side of your hip and appeared to continue downwards." Maura waited, giving Jane a moment to catch up.

"You saw?" She asked, genuinely surprised. She always thought she covered herself well enough for people not to notice. Maura wasn't _people_ though.

"Yes," she said abashedly. "I wanted to talk to you about it but I didn't want to scare you off if I pushed you too far." She was a little ashamed for not bringing it up then, but she felt like Jane didn't really have a lot of people she felt comfortable talking to and didn't want to lower that number further.

"Yeah," she said steadily, "I probably wouldn't have known what to say then anyway." She showed a skin deep smile before slowly trying to explain. "I guess it was a coping thing… I never wanted to d _ie_ or anything, just get through the days," she tried to assure Maura.

"I'm sorry," she said solemnly, unable to glance away from the raised little white streaks on Jane's leg for more than a moment.

Jane scoffed a little. "What are you sorry for? You were nothing but nice to me the whole time. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have coped as well as I did."

Maura raised her eye brows a little, not quite sure of what she just heard. "Self-harm was coping well?"

Jane sort of shrugged quite vacantly. "When you put it like that, it doesn't exactly sound good, but yeah. I could have done a lot of stupid things to cope so, in comparison, it maybe wasn't so bad."

Maura just watched, perplexed at this new layer of Jane.

"Maur'," Jane said with a light smile, making sure to get Maura's eye contact. "It's okay. It happened. It wasn't great, but it's over… and I'm not looking back." Jane was a little more adamant about that last part than probably would have been reassuring, but it seemed to do the trick.

"Jane?" Maura said as confidently as she could, despite her prevailing shyness in this situation.

"Yeah?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Jane's whole body tensed once again.

Maura quickly picked up on what may have been misunderstood and said resolutely, "Not _sleep_ with you," she assured. "Just near you," she said hopefully. "With you."

"Yeah," she said peacefully. "Sure," she smiled.

* * *

 **Hey lovelies,**

 **Sorry about the long chapter but I do hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Would love to hear any thoughts you might have.**

 **Hope you're all happy and well.**

 **CC**


	26. Chapter 26

Minor trigger warning.

* * *

The sun was streaming in through the window as Jane began to groan and open her eyes in lazily. A little stunned by the intense light, it took her a moment to adjust and then to note that she wasn't alone. Gracefully lying next to her was Maura, still peacefully sleeping. She made an effort not to make any more nose as she rolled over to reach for her phone which was atop the drawers just beside the bed.

 _7:06am_

"Ew," she muttered before slapping her hand over her mouth in aide of silence. Jane quickly looked over to Maura who was still sound asleep. She exhaled with relief as she lowered her hand to her abdomen where it could rest comfortably.

Truth be told, Jane wasn't really sure what to do. She wasn't usually the first one up, - unless it was to yell at her brothers for snoring. – Jane closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep for a while (a few minutes) only to find that she couldn't find a comfortable position. She heavily exhaled again with a little bit of a huff before rolling back on to her back and staring idly at the ceiling.

After a while she got lost in irrelevant thoughts, enough so to distract her from her restlessness. Before long though, she felt a hand atop her own resting just below her rib cage.

"G'morning," a sweetly mumbled voice spoke next to her.

Looking to Maura once again, she was not disappointed to see that the sun light now shone on her hair, making it glisten stunningly.

"Hey," Jane smiled as she spoke quietly. "How'd you sleep?"

Maura simply nodded with a slight hum of approval.

The two fell silent momentarily; comfortably quiet.

"How do you feel?" Maura asked genuinely.

"Hm?" Jane replied, not quite sure what she meant.

Maura smiled pleasantly and added, "Yesterday… This… I suppose they are big moves, for both of us."

To her surprise, Jane was calm in response. She didn't hesitate or flinch, she just smiled and said, "good." She looked to Maura again to gauge her response before cautiously adding, "How do _you_ feel?"

Maura thought for a moment before saying assuredly, "Happy."

They both smiled with appreciation to their feelings and the events of this weekend.

Jane swallowed and said, "you know, you're the first person to see my," she paused, _"legs_." She didn't mean to say it, and she wasn't sure if she had actually wanted to say it either, but some part of her pushed the words out her mouth.

Maura pursed her lips slightly in thought, before lightly grazing her nails on Jane's skin before allowing her hand to travel to her upper thigh and rest there.

Jane fisted the hand on her abdomen, retreating from the words she'd just spoken.

Maura wasn't shy, but she was gentle as she once again brushed her thumb lightly over the slightly raised scars. Looking to Jane's somewhat tenser hand, she said honestly, "If you ever, ever want to talk, please know that I will always be around." Truth be told, she was entirely sure how to react either, but she decided that being as genuine as she could would be the best, or at least most positive, step to take.

Jane didn't really understand the response. She had planned for this day practically since she began cutting, but it never went like this. Completely non-judgemental, unconditional support? The concept seemed foreign. In a knee-jerk manner, she manoeuvred her leg away slightly, so Maura's fingers were now resting on just the pads of them slightly below the scarring. It was scary for Jane, and she didn't really know how to respond. It wasn't an area that she felt comfortable talking about, which was news to her. She thought, hoped, that she'd gotten past it all.

Maura noticed her blatant uneasiness and instinctively drew her own fingers back as if to retreat and show that she wasn't a threat.

Much to her surprise though, Jane found that she actually kind of hated that. She wanted Maura to be close to her; touch her. There was absolutely nothing wrong with what Maura said or did, and she didn't want her to think that she was wrong either. "Sorry," she mumbled quietly, not quite game enough to look Maura in the eye.

Maura furrowed her brow in confusion. In her eyes, Jane certainly hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, she felt like she might have over-stepped the boundaries a little and that she should apologise. "What for?"

Jane shrugged and said apologetically, "It's just not really something I'm used to talking about or… addressing at all, apparently." She wasn't mad, really, she just didn't know what to do.

They were both quiet for nearly a minute as they tried to process what was happening.

Maura, still laying on her side, lifted her head up to fluff her pillows a little and rest her head on her hand. Finally breaking the silence, she began speaking in a reminiscent tone; "When I was younger, I never really felt that I _fit_ with anyone."

Jane just looked on good-naturedly, quite beguiled by her capacity to always have something to show that Jane was yet to learn about her. Never will Maura be underestimated.

Maura, though speaking honestly, didn't seem to make much eye contact as she spoke as if she were ashamed or embarrassed of her words and feelings. "My parents were always working and travelling and, although I'm sure they loved me, it just seemed that I was almost a burden to them." She pursed her lips sadly before continuing, "I don't think they knew it and, if they had, I'm sure they would have attempted to amend the situation in some fashion, but I could never really relate to them." She stopped momentarily to contemplate her current relationship with them. "I guess I still can't…But," she was quick to add, "we're all adults now with our own lives, so I suppose our bonds aren't so heavily weighted."

Jane stared at a very raw sadness that she didn't recall having ever seen in Maura. Before she could process it all and comment though, Maura went on.

"As I got older, I found other things to love and become immersed in. I loved to learn, and I was lucky enough to even have some teachers who enjoyed teaching as much as I did studying. Socially, though, I was almost always an outcast. I was always the _nerd_ or the _freak_. I spent a lot of time in the library because, usually, there wouldn't be many students and there was always at least one teacher nearby to supervise. I was picked on a lot, so looking out for a teacher became a way of survival, you might say." She paused once again, trying to put things into perspective in her own mind. "Hence, my lack of social skills and my tendency to retreat to academia." As she finished speaking, she slowly refocused her eyes back on Jane. "I have not self-harmed… And I can't imagine what it must have been like to feel as if that were your only option. And although my adolescent experiences, I suspect, don't even begin to compare to what you have been through, I know what it's like to be alone. I don't want you to ever feel that way."

Jane swallowed and licked her lips as she thought about everything Maura had just told her. After a moment, she said quietly and in the most honest way, "You are amazing. Thank you." There was a look in Jane's eyes of vulnerability, but she didn't fight it. Without breaking eye-contact, she inhaled a nervous breath, leaned in and finally kissed Maura on the lips.

It only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was enough for Jane's hand to be resting on the dip of Maura's waist and for Maura's to have found a comfortable place on Jane's hip.

"Jane?" Maura asked cautiously. "May I kiss you again?"

Jane didn't answer. Instead, she slid closer to Maura and pressed her lips against hers. Her hand tugged at Maura's waist, pulling her in even a little closer. The kiss began gently, in time growing deeper and more wanting. Maura's fingers danced along Jane's hip in rhythm, occasionally pushing down onto her skin causing passion to stir between them. It was a slow and tender kiss, though it lasted quite a while.

Eventually they broke for air and simply lay almost entwined in one another. It was the most at home either of them had felt in a relationship, and that was a big thing.

* * *

 **Alrighty then kids, that's that chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it and continue to enjoy the story.**

 **Would love to hear any feedback you might have about any of it (including where you want things to go).**

 **Thank you kindly for reading.**

 **CC**

 **PS: Apologies for my speaking being a little more UK English than American English. It is simply my native tongue, though I'm hopeful that it doesn't impede your thoughts on their likeness to the original characters.**

 **Hope you're enjoying the story.**


	27. Chapter 27

After they finished eating lunch, they remained at their table on the terrace in idle, but pleasant, conversation. They were going to have to head back home soon, and they were both just trying to enjoy the time they had left. Being away from the world, _even_ at a spa, had been rather therapeutic for them both. Perhaps it did have something to do with the massages or the facials, but neither of them were entirely sold on that. There was simply a calmness that came with it all, and this wasn't only because of the whole 'zen' thing. It was just nice to be able to be themselves without fear of judgement or punitive measures in other aspects of their lives (e.g. work and family). This was a place where they could wholly be themselves and be comfortable in doing so. It was a feeling that was quite uncommon to both of them.

At one stage, conversation came to a natural lull, and Jane began to stare quite vaguely into the distance. There was the subtlest sense of uneasiness but Maura, as astute as ever, quickly picked up on it.

"Jane," she paused cautiously. "Is everything alright?" Her voice was light but incredibly caring.

"Hm?" She hummed, jerking back to reality.

Maura smiled slightly at Jane's surprise. Supressing a small giggle she restated, "I just asked if you were alright." She smiled a most genuine smile to show her sincerity.

"Oh yeah," she said casually. "It's just, does that mean we're lesbians?" Her voice was, remarkably, exactly the same as it usually was as she asked this question, motivated only by genuine curiosity.

Maura burst out with laughter, but only momentarily as she insisted on tackling this conversation head on. "Sorry," she smiled. "I wasn't expecting that, is all." She straightened her face and centred her mind before sincerely addressing Jane's question. "Honestly, I don't know."

This answer bothered Jane a little as this was something she would rather like _to know_.

"It's one relationship," she continued. "That doesn't necessarily change one's entire sexual orientation."

"Yeah, but like, usually those one relationships aren't with someone of the same gender," she added in light banter.

Maura raised an eye brow, "I suppose that is true." She was quiet for a moment before adding, "Would that be a bad thing?"

"No, nah, I just… I feel like it's something you should know, you know?" And Jane honestly meant her words. She wasn't distressed by the idea, and she wasn't nervous about the progression of their relationship, she simply did really just want to _know._

Maura didn't answer. Instead, she stood up, walked the couple of steps around the table to where Jane was sitting and held out her hand gracefully. She smiled as she looked at Jane's bewilderment, before cocking her head to the side as if to say, 'come on'.

Jane, unsure of what was happening, warily took Maura's and stood up. To her surprise though, Maura didn't actually move.

She looked Jane in the eyes, smiled gently and leaned in to kiss her.

Jane wasn't sure why this was Maura's response, but it wasn't something she was going to turn down. Giving Maura's hand a light squeeze, she kissed Maura back happily.

Parting their lips, Maura looked at her kindly and softly said, "Maybe we could just enjoy it for now; labels aside."

"Yeah," Jane hummed agreeably. "That'd be nice."

•••

Their drive home was a lot more comfortable for both of them. It didn't seem to have the overhanging, and overbearing, pretences that were present on the way up.

"Why is it that doing absolutely nothing can be so tiring?" Jane asked as she stared out her window. "I'm exhausted," she exaggerated.

Maura smiled softly before answering quite honestly, "I don't know…" She paused, perplexed at the thought. It wasn't the first time she'd had it, but she'd never really found an answer that satisfied her. "Perhaps it is just our brains taking advantage of the time to rest?"

"Yeah, maybe," she said, words drifting a little.

Maura caught a glance of Jane out of the corner of her eye and commented kindly, "If you'd like, you are more than welcome to sleep. We've still got about half an hour or so."

"No," Jane was adamant. "I did that on the way up, I'm not doing it again."

She knew she wasn't going to manipulate Jane as easily this time considering she'd actually had a full night's sleep(ish).

"I know!" Jane exclaimed excitedly. "We can play a game!"

Giggling, Maura enquired, "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"I Spy!" There wasn't a moment of hesitation before Jane burst out the words. "You can start," she enticed.

Willing to give almost anything a go, Maura decided it was only reasonable to have a try at this too. "Hm… I spy… With my little eye, something beginning with…" There was quite a pause before she finally said, "C."

Jane was practically giddy as she sat up properly and inspected the ever-changing surroundings. "Is it… car?"

"No," she laughed. "You can do better than that."

Jane couldn't be certain, but she was sure Maura winked at the end of the sentence. "Had to give it a shot, right?" She jabbed playfully. "Alright, um, cap," she guessed, pointing to her Red Sox cap that she'd chucked on the back seat almost immediately after getting in the car.

"No," she smiled.

"Cloud?" She watched, only to receive a shake of the head.  
"Cans?"

Maura tried to look outside but couldn't focus enough to see any cans, particularly while driving. "Where?" She asked, unconvinced that were even any there to begin with.

"There," she pointed out the window and back a bit. "Beer cans."

"Oh," now understanding. "Well no, it's not cans either."

"I know! Cow!" She said enthusiastically.

"What?" She laughed. "Now I know you're lying. Where is there a cow?"

Jane smiled. "Fine. There aren't any," she huffed jokingly. "Can I have a hint?"

Maura nodded. "Look up."

"Clouds?" She said now very confused and very sure she'd already said that.

"No," she pursed her lips. "Not clouds," she assured.

"Did you see a crow on the wires or something?"

"That!" Maura practically screamed.

"Crow?" Jane said, raising an eye brow.

"No," she giggled. "Wires! What's another word for wires?"

"Um…" Jane thought hard before finally shouting, "CABLES!"

"Yes!" Maura smiled. "Your turn."

"I spy with my little eye… Um… Something beginning with D." She smiled contentedly, quite confident with the word she'd thought up.

Maura thought for a moment and then guessed, "Is it dashboard?"

"Nope," she said smugly. "Wait, what? How?"

Maura just giggled. "Beginners' luck, I suppose."

"Fine then," she feigned annoyance. "I'm going again then. I spy with my little eye something beginning with G."

Maura shook her head with a little smile. "Hm… G," she said, looking around for options. "Grass?"

"Nope," she said assuredly this time.

"…garden?" This wasn't exactly a very specific answer, but it was all she had right now.

"Nope."

"Hm… girl?" She guessed, before adding, "although, even if that were the case, you're more of a woman than a girl."

"Nope, not girl." While she let Maura think of her next guess, she allowed herself a moment to think about, and be thankful for, how grown-up it felt to have someone you care about think that you, yourself, are a grown-up. Sure, it was trivial, but still.

"Hm… May I have a clue then?" She finally relented.

"Um… Think of the road." Jane wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad clue, but it was the best she could do without giving it away.

Maura was quiet for a few moments and her face seemed visibly frustrated.

"What?"

"All I can think of is bitumen, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't start with a G," said added somewhat wittily.

"No, it does not." There was a slight sense of smugness in her voice as she realised that she may just have this one on Maura.

Maura heard that smug tone in her voice and remarked, "I haven't given up just yet."

Jane just nodded in disbelief.

Still, Maura persisted and tried hard to think of what it could be. About a minute of smug looks had passed before she grinned widely and said with certainty, "Gravel."

"Damn it," Jane laughed. "You got it!"

Maura just smiled, pleased.

The rest of trip went back and forth between the two of them, playing I Spy and making sure there was no lack of friendly teasing too.

* * *

Hey guys,

Thank you for reading. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I would love to hear any thoughts you have (good and/or bad).

Two things:

I am currently accepting suggestions of Rizzles stories on my Tumblr (rizzoliandislesformiles) that you think should be read by more people. There are some great stories out there that most people have never even heard of and I'd really like to help them to get at least a few more reads. So, if you have a favourite (or many), make sure to message them to me on Tumblr.

I have started writing Hellip (Helene Runyon x Lip Gallagher) fanfictions over on AO3. - I did it over there because of the ratings on here. - Anyway, I love Shameless and am doing the best I can with writing this one, but it's definitely not my strong suit, so please be kind. My first one is called "the Morning After" and you can look me up under the same username (Curiosity Complex).  
There seriously aren't enough Hellip fanfictions out there, so I encourage to start writing (if you want to write) or at least make sure to tag relevant posts on networks like Tumblr so people know it's out there.

Thanks for all of your ongoing support.

Hope you're happy and well.

CC


	28. Chapter 28

Jane had curled herself up on the lounge nestled herself into Maura's side. Maura lifted her right arm and absently placed it around Jane's shoulders as she continued to watch Masterchef intently.

Maura seemed far more taken in by the show than Jane. Jane was a practical person when it came to lifestyle. She had a limited wardrobe that was suitable to work, fitness and downtime, and she didn't own anything (many things) that was unnecessary. Even the little black dress she had was used on occasion and when she bought it (was persuaded to buy it) she was sure to be certain that it didn't just have one use; that is, it could be used on a date, for work, for formal family or social functions etc. Her house only had a few ornamental pieces, but was mostly filled with things she used on a day-to-day basis. And she was no different when it came to cooking. Whilst her preference was take-out, she did have some pre-made frozen meals that could be microwaved in minutes, cereal (which, in her world, was suitable for all meals) and beer (no explanation needed).

Maura, on the other hand, was a little more sentimental and extravagent when it came to her lifestyle. She had many ornaments on display in her home (both sentimental and simply pretty), an extensive wardrobe which, whilst still suited to her needs, was filled with things that had been worn only once (if that). When it came to cooking, she enjoyed the process of preparation of the food. She loved experiencing the aromas as they transformed along the way and the fact that, when it came time to eat the dish she'd prepared, she felt much more accomplished and truly savoured the flavours. Her fridge and freezer were full of fresh vegetables (both common and exotic), raw chicken and/or fish (usually salmon or red snapper, depending on what she planned to cook), white wine and fresh juices, and then red wine could found in her wine collection outside the fridge. To her, watching shows like Masterchef inspired her to create more complex dishes with flavours she wouldn't have thought up on her own. It was also a chance to escape a little and experience what she described as a richer lifestyle of food.

As the ads came on, Jane asked, "Do they really know all that stuff?" She scrunched up her face.

Maura scoffed ever-so-slightly, raising an eye brow and replied, "All 'what stuff'?"

"All that cooking stuff," she said, voice still unbelieving. "Like, _flambé,"_ she mocked poshly. "And _bain-marie_ …" She added, still unimpressed. "And what about that whole deconstructed thing… I'm not going out to dinner just so I have to put my own food together. That's what I'm paying someone else to do for me!"

Clearly too far gone ranting, Maura simply laughed at Jane's blatant boredom. After a few hearty laughs, she sighed a little and added a touch of logic and rationality to it all. "Think of it this way: You know lots of things about police work that many wouldn't. That goes for official and unofficial procedures or responses, as well as the terminology, right?"

Jane, still on Maura's shoulder, shrugged slightly knowing that she's about to have her randomly spurted comments served to her on a platter.

"Well, these people are like just like you, but their specialty is in cooking."

"Mm…" she grumbled. "Still fun to mock them though," she said deviously.

Maura burst out with laughter, finding it hilarious that Jane was quite literally beyond reason.  
"You don't really cook much, do you?" She asked curiously.

Feigning outrage she said, "Yes, I do! I cook all the time."

"Mhm…" She hummed in disbelief. "What do you cook?" She narrowed her eyes as a playful smile grew on her face.

"You know," she stalled. "Food! What normal people eat to survive and all."

"Macaroni and cheese, no matter how many different types of left over cheeses you've decided to throw in, does not count as real cooking," she smiled.

Jane opened her mouth to speak but closed almost immediately after, finding that she didn't have a great come back to that. She slumped down in a huff, before grumbling sarcastically, "Yeah, but I'm alive, aren't I?"

Maura just giggled as her fingers played on Jane's arm. "Perhaps I could teach you to cook something that involves a little more skill… and a little more nutrition," she offered (with a little mocking).

Jane smiled quietly to herself before nodded and nuzzling slightly back into Maura.

•••

Maura was practically bursting with excitement as she gathered utensils and ingredients from around her kitchen. A couple of days had passed and she'd finally convinced Jane to let her teach her to cook something.

Jane, on the other, watched on feigning excitement with blatantly sarcastic brows. She couldn't deny though, it was a little cute to see Maura like this, even if she was a little nervous about just how much work this was all going to be.  
"So, ah, what're we making?"

"Just… one second," she said, pulling out the final pieces to tonight's culinary puzzle.

Jane nodded as concern grew that anything requiring this many items was not going to be an easy task.

Finally, Maura let out a contented sigh and looked up to Jane. What she hadn't quite realised was just how much preparing everything would frighten Jane. She let out a laugh as she observed the cute fear that was beginning to show on Jane's face. "Don't worry," she said with a big and remarkably honestly smile. "It's going to be fine."

Jane watched an assured smile grow on Maura's lips. It seemed genuine, so she figured she'd take it at face value as she tried to uncrease the corners of her face.

"This is a simple dish anyway," she smiled again. "I think you'll like it."

There was a hinting to something in Maura's voice but she couldn't quite pick it. She simply nodded as she moved toward the counter in the middle of Maura's kitchen.

"So, what are we cooking?" She asked dryly.

•••

As they moved from the dining table to the lounge, both were quite content to simply be in the moment.

After getting comfortable resting intertwined with each other, Jane smiled. "Thanks, Maura."

"You're very welcome," she replied happily. "You'll just have to teach me something of your world."

"Mm," she hummed in agreeance, albeit part of her wasn't quite sure what that was.

* * *

Well, after an exceedingly long hiatus, here we are.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. And remember, I love feedback.

Thank you for your patience.  
Thank you for reading.

And I hope you are happy and well.

PS: I do simply ask that you not take this as a commitment to continue on regularly. I simply felt like writing this chapter. We'll see how things go. Thank you for your understanding.


	29. Chapter 29

This weekend had been very normal yet very intertwined. They'd spent most of the weekend at Maura's place; slept together, independently finished up paperwork from the week, gotten meals together, cleaned up together etc. They were happy. Comfortable even, and that wasn't too easy for either of them.

The two of them watched television for a while, occasionally having idle conversations usually in ad breaks. Soon they both began to doze off a little.

"Come on," Maura smiled. "Let's go to bed."

Jane grumbled whinily. "Eugh, I have to go to work tomorrow."

Maura smiled small. "I know, as do I. Come on," she tugged at her arm lightly. "You have worked many days in your life and you will work many more. Tomorrow is no exception."

Jane huffed, "Fine…" She dragged the word out as she spoke. She pulled herself forward and up off the lounge and then turned reaching out a hand to help Maura up.

•••

Tonight they slept in Maura's bed (when in Rome).

They both got changed into something more comfortable. Maura wore button-up pyjamas set. They were a dark teal colour with white trim on the cuffs of the sleeves and pant-legs, as well as the lapels. The satin shimmered a little in the light which only served to make Maura looked more regal and elegant than she usually did.

Jane, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of grey, light cotton track pants and navy t-shirt. As she re-entered the room after getting dressed, she was astounded to see Maura looking so presentable.  
In her mind, as soon as it was time for bed, it was time for the excuse to look dishevelled and unfashionable when no-one could tell you off. But here was Maura, looking pristine with her perfectly smooth pyjamas and her hair in a slightly messy bun.

"I feel underdressed," Jane joked with a smile.

Maura smiled politely as she sat on the edge of the bed.

As Jane walked over and fell back onto the bed, she pat the empty space next to her. She watched as Maura apprehensively lay down next to her.

Maura lay on her back, staring at the ceiling without a word. Usually she was more careful with her displays of emotion but these ones were a little too strong.

Still, Jane watched and waited. When she concluded that Maura wasn't going to take the first step she rolled onto her side so she was facing her and gently traced patterns on the arm closest to her. "What's going on in that big head?"

Without thinking Maura began, "I do not have a big- Oh," she smiled politely once again. She took a big breath in as if preparing to submerge herself in water before letting out a tired huff.

Jane smiled a little too. It wasn't a real smile though; more of a kind 'I'm sorry'. "Maur'," she said in a gentle yet serious tone. "What's going on?" She stopped her fingers and simply rested her hand on Maura's forearm.

She turned her head toward Jane solemnly. "What happens tomorrow?" That was it. No context nor explanation.

Being her usual smart-ass self, she said, "Why is it any different from today?"

Truthfully though, Maura didn't actually know. That made two of them.

"This weekend has been so wonderful," she said blinking slowly. "I don't want our _real_ lives to ruin that yet."

"Maura, it's just work. We'll still see each other before and after. We'll still have our phones and time off. Nothing has to change."

Maura pursed her lips. "That's not quite what I meant," she said sadly.

"Then tell me what you mean," Jane tugged.

Maura sighed and sat herself up so she was leaning against the bed head. "I am well-aware that we have continued on our with our day-to-day lives since we began to see each other. I just really like what we have going. I know that we don't really know what _this_ is, and I'm okay with that," she said honestly. "But other people will want to label it or put it in a box and… I don't want to be in a box."

Jane began to sit up quietly, allowing Maura to speak.

"Our relationship is unique. I mean, of course, there are many women – and men for that matter – who have participated in same-sex relationships, and there are also those who experiment. This doesn't quite feel like experimenting though. I suppose I am just a little frightened that other people will begin to taint that further," she explained. "Make it even less clear when, really, it has nothing to do with their opinions at all."

"Maura," Jane said in a friendly tone. "Yes, our relationship is unique, to say the least. Do I have any idea what will happen? No! But I want it to happen, regardless of what people think. I want this. I want you."

She smiled kindly. "May I ask a favour?"

Jane raised her eye brows as if to say that it needn't ever be a question. "Of course, anything."

"Could we just not tell people yet?" Maura was clearly scared to ask. She wasn't ashamed of their relationship and she certainly didn't want Jane to think that. She did however value greatly the chance for their relationship to grow and progress at its own pace and, in her experience, once friends or family start to get involved it rarely happens that way.

Jane leaned in and raised a hand to Maura's cheek before pressing her lips against Maura's.

When they broke apart and looked each other in the eyes, Maura still wasn't sure of the answer and Jane could see that.

"Of course."

Maura looked relieved. She kissed Jane again.

Even after the weekend they'd had and the comfort they each felt when with the other, Maura was right. There was a very good chance that their relationship could be messed up by others at this stage.

The next morning, Maura walked as if a weight had been lifted. Jane couldn't help but feel a little bad though for not noticing that Maura was upset earlier.

Mid-breakfast, Jane asked, "How long had you been thinking about that?"

"About what?" She replied politely.

"About what other people were going to do to us," she informed.

"Oh," Maura said placing the butter knife on her plate next to the rye toast. "Not long," she said honestly.

"Oh okay," Jane said unsurely. She believed Maura and didn't think she'd lie but part of her was still confused. "It just seemed like it was something you'd thought out pretty well and I feel bad for not knowing before then that you had something on your mind."

"Jane, please," she said placing a hand atop Jane's. She took a small breath. "Honestly, it was just something that happened," she began. "A little while before we left the lounge room to go to bed it occurred to me that we each had work again today. From there, the notion simply grew rather rapidly."

"You sure?" Jane asked hopefully.

"Certain," she smiled. "Sometimes when I am tired, my brain functions noticeably differently and is more susceptible to thoughts becoming overwhelming. That's all."

"Okay, thanks," she said sincerely. "And, you know you can always talk to me, right?"

"I do, thank you Jane. And, had I felt differently last night's conversation may not have even occurred," she reminded.

Jane smiled.

* * *

 **Hello all,**

 **Thank you for reading. I really hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Hope you're happy and well.**

 **P.S: If you're staying aboard the Rizzles Ship, make sure to check out my Tumblr rizzoliandislesformiles in case you hadn't already.**

 **Thank you again.**


	30. Chapter 30

For the better part of the day, part of Jane's mind couldn't help but go over what Maura had said earlier. That, had she felt differently, the previous night's conversation mightn't have ever happened. She understood what she meant, of course, but couldn't help but think that there was a good chance that these thoughts had been somewhere inside her for much longer, even if she hadn't paid them much attention. At about 3 that afternoon, she sent a text.

 _Hey hope school was good.  
I get off work at 7 – mind if I come by after?_

Jane wasn't quite sure how to word it so that it wasn't overly alarming. Thankfully, Maura was quick to reply, meaning Jane didn't have long enough to overthink it.

 _Hey Jane,  
Is everything alright?_

'Shit,' she mumbled to herself. Spoke too soon. Trying to maintain this ruse, she responded with:

 _Yeah. Was just hoping to have dinner and talk._

Maura hummed to herself as she read it, trying to decipher what this was really about. That was something she could ponder on her own time though.

 _Of course. I will cook something nutritious and delicious._

Even as she typed the smiley face it felt forced.

She wasn't really expecting a reply, more that Jane would just arrive after work and they would go from there. However, about ten minutes later her phone buzzed again.

 _No no no! you don't have to cook  
I can just grab something on the way_

And, whilst this was a sweet thought, Maura was adamant.

 _Jane, it's fine. I was going to have to cook for myself anyway.  
It's really okay, I promise._

Maura pressed send and then began typing again.

 _Whatever is on your mind, we can talk it through. We'll get through it, okay? X_

 _[sent]_

•••

"So, care to tell me what the text message was referring to?" Maura asked as she watched Jane play with the food on her plate.

"Hm? Oh." Jane had drifted slightly into her own little world. "Sorry, yeah, I just…" Sentences were not her strong point right at this moment.

Maura looked on patiently, willing to wait as long as Jane needed.

"It's just about what you were saying yesterday. Like, I don't know that I want to tell people either, but it felt like maybe it wasn't just that. And I know," she emphasised. "That you said you hadn't been thinking about it long and that it was just 'cause you were tired but that thought must have been up there a while for you to say something." By the end, Jane was more upset/frustrated than she had intended. She wanted to have a calm, realistic conversation about their relationship but her fear got the better of her.

"Jane," Maura said kindly as she rested a hand atop Jane's. "I won't lie, the thought has been there," she stated honestly.

Jane began to look sadder.

"But only as a consideration of fact and I have given it no more attention. There have been much louder thoughts. Ones that tell me how much I love you and love spending time with you. Ones that remind me how much you care and support me and how I'd always do the same for you." Maura paused, looking Jane in the eyes. "Those thoughts," she added. "Those are the ones that matter most."

Jane simply stared. Stuck in a state of awe and contemplation, it seemed her brain hadn't quite decided what to do. Until it did.  
Jane lifted herself enough to lean across the table and press a firm and comfortable kiss upon Maura's lips. "I love you, Maur'."

Maura smiled back and happily replied, "I love you too, Jane."

After dinner, Maura mentioned, "You're welcome to stay here tonight, if you'd like."

Jane politely smiled tiredly and said, "Nah, that's okay. I think I'll just head off. Thanks though." After nearly 24 hours of anxiety regarding the matter and having to go to work today, she was ready for a good night's rest. She also didn't want to seem rude for coming over, eating Maura's food and then falling asleep on her; her mother raised her better than that.

•••

The night before, Jane fell asleep in mere moments and slept like a log.

When she woke, she rolled over and checked the time only to find out, by the light of an unforgiving phone screen, that it was 3:28AM. An involuntary groan grumbled out of her, deeper than usual.

After trying to get back to sleep for a while, Jane gave in and got out of bed about an hour later.

As she stumbled her way through her morning routine she finally called the quits after she tried to fill her filter paper with coffee only to spill half of it on the benchtop. "It's way too early for this." Her tone was impatient yet not dissimilar to that of a whining toddler.

She plonked herself down on the sofa and turned on her television. She flicked through a few channels and was quick to discover that the networks were still on 'play any and all infomercials you have because no-one is awake' mode. She sighed a little and eventually settled on watching M*A*S*H re-runs.

A little earlier than usual, about 5:30AM, she began getting ready so she could spend some time in the gym before work. As she stood in her bedroom undressing, she found herself looking in at her reflection in the mirror. The lights in her room were dimmed, and the sun hadn't yet begun to rise, so the figure in her mirror was not the clearest it could be. Still though, she found herself staring at the scars from so many years ago. She ran her fingers over them; even though faded and healed they still had the slightest little bumps. The recent events with the good teacher raised some memories of their previous relationship. It wasn't an easy one. She scoffed a little. Jane didn't consider herself as a teenager to be a picnic either, for her or others. She recalled this lingering feeling of unpredictability. There was always a chance that it would end. There was always so much unspoken. Maura tried not to pry and Jane tried not to say. It was a delicate balance of not giving too much away but also not pushing the other person away. Jane knew that Maura cared but, she was a teacher, there was only so much affection that she could show. Not to say that Maura ever felt romantically about Jane at that age. More of a sister or good friend.

Despite the endless thoughts running through her mind though, Jane simply sighed and got on with her morning by convincing herself that they were only memories.

* * *

 **Hello lovely readers,**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As I'm sure you found, the content of this addition was mostly to give a little insight. Stay tuned though because the story will progress.**

 **Please feel free to leave a comment as I love to hear your thoughts.**

 **Hope you're very happy and well.**

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **CC**


	31. Chapter 31

Jane's early morning workout went a long way. Apparently, she'd had a little more in her than she had realised. And, other than sweating like a pig _(sorry, glowing like a pig),_ her thinking certainly seemed a lot less cluttered and for that she was thankful. Somewhere between her time on the rowing machine and beating the crap out of a boxing bag she realised something; They're relationship now wasn't like the one they had before. There are no restrictions, except for the ones they wish to impose themselves. They weren't going to get in trouble or be banned from seeing each other. Not only that, but she could be open with Maura unabashedly. Although she didn't self-harm anymore (mostly), she wasn't scared to core that Maura would then go tell another teacher or her parents or force her into counselling. If she opened up about family Maura wasn't going to call Social Services or anything like that. They could just be. Of course, those thoughts had come into her mind before that moment but perhaps she just wasn't ready to hear them.

She shot Maura a text:

 _Thanks again for last night. :)_

Jane took a quick shower before throwing on her work clothes and heading up to the office. She didn't feel the need to take a look at her scars but did note: _I guess being tired can mess up your thinking._

•••

By the time Maura read that message, it was already recess. She couldn't quite pinpoint why but it seemed like Jane was in a better mood. This made her smile.

 _You're always welcome. Are you free for dinner tonight? X_

A while later, Jane replied.

 _Nah, can't. Tomorrow night?_

 _Sounds good. I have a couple of things to do for my students but they should mostly be finished by that point._

 _All good. I finish work at 4 tomorrow so do you want to do 6? Or I can pick you up from school if that makes things easier?_

 _I'll tell you what, come by mine whenever you want. I'll be back from about 4:30 PM. We can go from there. As long as you don't mind me doing a little work. You can hang out with Bass though?_

 _Great. X_

For a moment that seemed like it until Jane sent a second message.

 _Thanks again Maur._

•••

Jane stood at Maura's door staring at her watch. It was 4:28pm and Jane didn't want to seem too keen, nor did she want to annoy Maura. She stood, staring and waiting. 4:29:10pm hit and she decided it couldn't wait. She rang the door bell.

Barely ten seconds passed before Jane heard the rattle of the keys on the other side of the door.

Opening the door with a smile, Maura said, "Hello Jane," before giving her a quick peck on the lips.  
"Please come in."

The moment the door closed behind them, Jane backed Maura against the wall and kissed her passionately. It was the way she'd wanted to do it for, in this moment, it was what felt true. Although initially taken aback, Maura was quick to engage moving her hands to Jane's waist, lightly tugging her closer. After what seemed like forever, they finally parted lips and each smiled at each other, still in each other's arms.

Maura asked, "What was that for?"

Jane shrugged it off a little as if it were nothing and said, "Just wanted to say thanks." She glanced away at the end of her words, only to be drawn back by Maura's hand on her jaw.

"Always, Jane. _Always_ ," she said with a squeeze of Jane's waist.

The afternoon was pretty ordinary, which neither of them minded. Maura did some of her school work, Jane pretended to do some of her paperwork before opting to watch television and then when she got bored she would go over to Maura and annoy her with silly faces.

They ended up getting take-away from a local Lebanese place that they both loved. After dinner, they retreated to Maura's bedroom where they scrolled through Netflix on Maura's laptop trying to find something to watch. Without really noticing how or why, their legs had begun entwined as Jane placed one of hers between Maura's with the laptop sitting on top of them. Without either of them noticing what was happening, one of Maura's hands rested upon Jane's leg, slowly making its way up the outside of Jane's thigh. Maura could feel the subtle little raised bumps that were the scars on her leg but tried to keep her hand still. For Maura, it wasn't about the scars. She just liked feeling the warmth of Jane's skin against hers. Her toned physique never bothered her either.

Jane didn't flinch when she felt Maura's fingers trace up towards. She was comfortable and unafraid. She was happy. They both were.

It seemed that tonight, everything Netflix just wasn't appealing to them.

"Well, that sucks," Jane uttered aloud.

Maura hummed in agreement.

"What d'you wanna do?" Jane asked.

Maura closed the lid of her laptop and set it on her bedside table. She thought for a moment. "I quite like what we were doing before," she said hintingly.

Jane silently considered what they'd done before replying, "You want me to pull faces while you do school work?"

Maura pursed her lips in feigned annoyance. "Just one face," she corrected. "And no school work."

"Oh," Jane said in sudden realisation. "We can definitely do that," she smiled.

Maura manoeuvred herself onto her side a little more so she had better access and began tracing kisses up Jane's neck and toward her lips. She could feel a small smile creep onto Jane's lips as they continued to kiss. Maura smiled back before, almost instinctively, pressing harder against Jane once again. The kiss begun to get deeper as time went on and neither wanted it to end.  
Jane found herself tracing her fingertips along the dainty bones that were the side of Maura's ribcage; thumbs gently grazing over the supple skin of Maura's breasts. Maura flinched at first at cold fingers but was quick to give in with her own hands becoming deeper entwined in Jane's hair.  
Throughout it all, their bodies had gotten closer, the inside of Maura's leg now wrapped around Jane's, making sure she stays close. Jane's skin was like velvet against her own and she couldn't be happier.


End file.
